Milford chronicle., 1929-01-25

C. Douglass Buck, who was inau-
gurated as Governor of Delaware on
Tuesday, has never been afraid oi
work. About to receive the highest
honor in state government which
Delaware can bestow upon him lie is
grateful for the fact that all of his
time has been spent employed and
that he never had time to live q life
of ease.
Even in the summertime, when
school did not keep"as pupil and
later as a student at college, Doug
lass Buck stayed at home and work
ed on the farm. Looking back on
it, think this was about as profit
able as anything l ever did," he told
a representative of The Star.
While few know of it, except inti-
mate friends, it is nevertheless fit
ting that Delaware's new Governor
is a great great nephew of John NJ.
Clayton, who was Secretary of State
in President Taylor's administration,
United States Senator from Della
ware, Chief Justice of this State,
signer of the Clayton-Bulwer treaty
with England, and one of the great
est statesmen Delaware ever pro-
duced. 1t was in the John NJ. Clay
ton home where Governor Buck was
born and that is also his present
residence.
Douglass Buck graduated from
Friends School in 1908. Following
his graduation he went to work for
the Standard Arms Company, start
ing at the bottom. He stayed there
six months. The rest of that year
was spent at Beacon College and he
studied at the University of Pennsyl-
vania for the next two years. Com
ing back from there one day, he went
to work the next day for the du
Pont Road, Inc. That was in 1911,
at the time that the survey for the
road was being started. He stayed |
with the du Pont Road until it broke |
up and then spent year or two in
personal work for T. Coleman du
Pont. He began with the road work
again in 1915. He was granted a
leave of absence from the Delaware
road work in 1916 and spent six or
eight months in Albany with the
State Engineer for the New York
barge canal.
At the end of 1917 he entered the
government service and continued
here until the armistice was signed.
He was first stationed at the Mass
lchusetts Institute of Technology
Dut finally ended his service in the
Aviation School after he had been
sent to the ground school at Prince
on where he was when the war end
I'd.
He came back to highway work in
Delaware in 1919, Charles NJ Upham
vas then Chief Engineer of the State
Department. Mr.. Buck went
o work as an inspector for New
Jastle county. Afterwards he was
to resident engineer and,
vhen Mr.. Upham was granted fur
ough to go to North Carolina, Mr..
Buck became acting chief engineer.
lie was named as Chief Engineer in
921.
When he started with the highway
york there were approximately 100
niles of concrete road which had
een laid. Today there are 68S miles
nd it is needless to use more than
few words to say what has been
aid so many times, that Delaware's
highway system has attracted favor
BILE interest throughout the nation.
)uring the time that Mr.. Buck was
hief engineer of the highway de-
artment he directed the expendi-
ure of more than $20,O00,0O0 in pub
lc, Federal and private funds. To
each the top of the highway work
4 Delaware, he had started at the
cry bottom, as axeman, rodman and
hainman.
On March 21, next, Mr.. Buck will
e SO years of age. Considerable re-
earch would be required to show
nat he is the youngest Governor
7hich Delaware has ever had but he
; believed to be the youngest one
hosen to this high Office by the
ote of the people. Mr.. and Mrs.
uck have four children, two boys
nd two girls, whose charm, since
heir father is soon to be the states
overnor, will become even more
-idely known than now.
Mr.. Buck is member of the St.
limo Club, Delta Phi Fraternity,
the Wilmington Club,
Country Club and the A.
!. c. While he is fond of cunning
nd tennis he doesn't give a great
cal of time to either of these sports.
Sap-Did Jack Rounder turn over