Dick Clark (Iowa politician)

Richard Clarence "Dick" Clark (September 14, 1928 – September 20, 2023) was an American politician. He represented the state of Iowa in the United States Senate from 1973 to 1979. Clark was a member of the Democratic Party.

All throughout the campaign, polls showed Clark losing to Jack R. Miller by a large margin. An important part of Clark's campaign was his 1,300-mile walk across the state to gain publicity.  This caused him to win the election in an upset.

Clark was a very liberal senator, consistently being ranked among the most liberal in the Senate throughout his one term tenure.  

As senator, he served on the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, the Committee on Environment and Public Works and the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Clark was known for his efforts against the apartheid government in South Africa, his opponent, Roger Jepsen, called him "the Senator from Africa".

Clark was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He completed his BA in 1953 at Upper Iowa University and his Masters in 1956 at the University of Iowa.  He then became a professor at Upper Iowa University.

Clark died in his sleep on September 20, 2023 in Washington, D.C., six days after his 95th birthday.

References

Other websites
Congressional Biography
Description of Dick Clark's papers at the University of Iowa

Category:1928 births
Category:2023 deaths
Category:United States senators from Iowa
Category:Democratic Party (United States) politicians
Category:Educators from Iowa