Clair Engle

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Clair Engle
United States Senator from California
In office January 3, 1959 – July 30, 1964
Preceded by	William F. Knowland
Succeeded by	Pierre Salinger
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 2nd district
In office August 31, 1943 – January 3, 1959
Preceded by	Harry L. Englebright
Succeeded by	Harold T. Johnson
Born	September 21, 1911 Bakersfield, California
Died	July 30, 1964 (aged 52) Washington, D.C., United States
Nationality	American
Political party	Democrat

Clair Engle (September 21, 1911 – July 30, 1964) was an American politician of the Democratic Party and a United States Senator from California.

Engle was born in Bakersfield, California, he attended public school and graduated from Chico State College in 1930 and from the University of California Hastings College of Law in 1933.

Engle was admitted to the bar in 1933 and commenced practice in Corning, California, and served as district attorney of Tehama County, California from 1934 until 1942, when he was elected to the California Senate, serving in that body in 1943.

Engle was elected on August 31, 1943, as a Democrat to represent California's 2nd congressional district in the 78th Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Harry L. Englebright and was reelected to the following six Congresses, serving, in toto, from 1943 until 1959. While in the United States House of Representatives he was chairman of the U.S. House Committee on War Claims for the 79th Congress and chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs for the 84th and 85th Congresses.

Engle was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 1958 and began serving in 1959. He fell victim to brain cancer in 1963, however, which left him partially paralyzed, and he missed several Congressional sessions in 1963 and 1964.

On June 10, 1964, during the roll call for the historic, successful effort to break the filibuster on what would become the Civil Rights Act of 1964, when the clerk reached "Mr. Engle," there was no reply. The tumor had robbed Engle of his ability to speak. Slowly lifting a crippled arm, he pointed to his eye, thereby signaling his affirmative vote ("aye").^[1] The cloture vote was 71-29, four votes more than the two-thirds majority required to cut off filibuster. ^[2]. Nine days later the Senate approved the act itself.

Engle died in Washington, D.C. a month and a half later, aged 52.

Trinity Lake, in California's Trinity County, was renamed for Clair Engle, although the name Trinity Lake continued to be commonly used, and eventually the lake's name reverted.

[edit] See also

• List of notable brain tumor patients

[edit] Links

University of California, Davis, Department of Animal Science, Memoral Book Listing Clair Engle's legislative accomplishments[1]

[edit] References

• Clair Engle at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

1. ^ The News Hour, Democratic Senator Johnson in Critical Condition, Dec. 14, 2006. Retrieved Dec. 29, 2006.
2. ^ Associated Press account of June 10, 1964, as reported in 'The Oakland Tribune'

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