Bio of Frank CLAGUE 1865-1952, Redwood Co., MN

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Biography of Representative Frank Clague; 1865-1952, Redwood Falls, MN

Source: Redwood - The Story of a County
Wayne E. Webb and J. I. Swedberg
Published by the Redwood County Board of Commissioners, 1964
Pages 352-353
As follows:

"Frank Clague was the only Redwood county politician canny enough
to be elected to Congress, serving in the House of Representatives 
[Second District] from March 4, 1921 to March 4, 1933. A son of 
Irish immigrants, he was a Minnesotan by way of his native Ohio and 
Maryland [Warrensville, Ohio and Easton, Maryland], Pennsylvania and 
Missouri.  But with all that traveling, including the length of the 
Mississippi River by steamboat and to the Montana harvest fields, 
he was only 16 when he went to work on a farm near Brownton in 1881.  
At 17 he was a rural school teacher and at 21 he had two years of 
education at Mankato Normal college [where he met his future wife, 
Stella Porter, of Ceresco Township, Blue Earth County, Minnesota] 
and was principal of the Springfield school. There he began studying 
the law in his spare time in the accepted method of the day, "reading" 
under a practitioner.  More study in a Mankato office, and in 1891 
he passed the bar examination and put out his shingle in Lamberton."

"Three years later he was county attorney, his star rising rapidly.  
While still in office he was hired by the Chicago and North Western 
railroad as a land agent, and it was he who purchased the right-of-way 
for the two railroads that crisscrossed the county in 1899 and 1902.  
As soon as that was done, Clague ran for county legislator [Minnesota 
House of Representatives].  He never lost an election, went to the 
House again in 1904, was Speaker, and for the next eight years served 
in the state Senate."

"He moved his law office to Redwood Falls in 1910 and was active 
there when he accepted a draft to run for District Court Judge 
[Ninth Judicial District] in 1918.  That job lasted only a year, 
for in 1920 the one-time rural teacher began the first of 13 years 
in Congress.  In 1933, at 68 years of age he "just quit" politics 
[his decision was based upon the fact that state-wide redistricting 
had not been accomplished by 1932 and all U.S. House candidates were 
required to run 'at-large' statewide, not a desirable situation for 
this would be, Republican candidate] and lived in Redwood Falls until 
his death in 1952."

[ ] = comments added by the transcriber, William W. Porter, a great-
nephew of Frank Clague.  Transcribed on 15 August 2002.