Earle Clements | |
|---|---|
 Clements in 1947 | |
| Senate Majority Whip | |
| In office January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1957 | |
| Leader | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Leverett Saltonstall |
| Succeeded by | Mike Mansfield |
| Senate Minority Whip | |
| In office January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1955 | |
| Leader | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | Leverett Saltonstall |
| Succeeded by | Leverett Saltonstall |
| United States Senator from Kentucky | |
| In office November 27, 1950 – January 3, 1957 | |
| Preceded by | Garrett L. Withers |
| Succeeded by | Thruston Morton |
| 47th Governor of Kentucky | |
| In office December 9, 1947 – November 27, 1950 | |
| Lieutenant | Lawrence Wetherby |
| Preceded by | Simeon Willis |
| Succeeded by | Lawrence Wetherby |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Kentucky's 2nd district | |
| In office January 3, 1945 – January 6, 1948 | |
| Preceded by | Beverly M. Vincent |
| Succeeded by | John A. Whitaker |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Earle Chester Clements October 22, 1896 Morganfield, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | March 12, 1985 (aged 88) Morganfield, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Resting place | Odd Fellows Cemetery, Morganfield, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Sara Blue |
| Education | University of Kentucky (BS) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1917–1919 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Earle Chester Clements (October 22, 1896 – March 12, 1985) was a Kentucky politician. He represented the Commonwealth of Kentucky in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and was its 47th Governor, serving from 1947 to 1950, after serving in the state Senate. For 25 years, he was the leader of a faction of the state's Democratic Party that stood in opposition to the faction led by two-time governor and senator A. B. "Happy" Chandler.
After following his father into the local politics of his home county, Clements agreed to chair the gubernatorial campaign of Thomas Rhea in 1935. Already committed to Rhea, he turned down an offer from Happy Chandler to chair his campaign, beginning the rift between the two men. Clements was elected to the Kentucky Senate in 1941. In 1944, he was elected floor leader of its Democratic majority and successfully campaigned for a larger budget than that proposed by Republican governor Simeon Willis. His stand against Willis made him popular in the Democratic Party, and he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1944 and 1946.
In 1947, Clements succeeded the term-limited Willis, defeating Harry Lee Waterfield, Chandler's preferred candidate, in the Democratic primary. As governor, Clements raised taxes and used the revenue to increase funding for the state park system and construct and maintain more roads. He also achieved advancements in education, including some progress toward desegregation. In 1950, Clements was elected to the U.S. Senate. He resigned as governor to take the seat. While in the Senate, he served as Democratic party whip under party leader Lyndon Johnson and as executive director of the Senate Democratic Reelection Committee from 1957 to 1959. He was defeated by Thruston Morton in his re-election bid in 1956; a lack of support from Chandler (then serving his second term as governor) contributed to Clements' defeat. At Johnson's insistence, Clements resumed chairing the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee in 1957 and 1959.
Clements had supported Bert T. Combs for governor against Chandler in the 1955 primary, and did so again against Waterfield in 1959, brokering a deal for Louisville lawyer Wilson Wyatt to drop his bid for governor and run for lieutenant governor on an unofficial ticket headed by Combs. Combs defeated Waterfield and rewarded Clements by appointing him state highway commissioner. In 1960, Clements and Combs split over a deal to lease dump trucks from a Louisville car dealer. State newspapers charged that the deal was payback to the dealer, a Combs supporter. When Combs canceled the deal Clements took it as a public rebuke and soon after resigned to work on the presidential campaign of his friend, Lyndon Johnson. Following his split with Combs, Clements allied himself with the Chandler faction, opposing Wyatt in his bid to unseat Senator Thruston Morton. Clements' influence declined rapidly after the split with Combs, and by the 1963 gubernatorial race, he was unable to deliver his home county for Chandler in the primary against Edward T. Breathitt, who was nominated. From 1966 to 1971, Clements headed The Tobacco Institute. Clements died in his hometown of Morganfield, Kentucky, on March 12, 1985.