Earle Clements

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
Member of the Kentucky Senate from the 4th district
In office January 1, 1942 – January 3, 1945
Preceded by	John A. Sugg Jr.
Succeeded by	Stanley Hoffman
Personal details
Born	Earle Chester Clements (1896-10-22)October 22, 1896 Morganfield, Kentucky, U.S.
Died	March 12, 1985(1985-03-12) (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.