Jean Bethine Clark Church (February 19, 1923 – December 21, 2013), was the spouse of

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Frank Church Frank Forrester Church III (July 25, 1924 – April 7, 1984) was an Americans, American politician and lawyer. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Idah ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

. As politically active as her husband, she earned the nickname of "Idaho's third senator.""About Bethine Church." Boise State University, n.d. Web. 17 Sep 2013. .

Early life and education

Born in

Mackay, Idaho Mackay ) is a town in Custer County, Idaho, United States. The population was 439 at the 2020 census. The town is pronounced "Mackie" with the accent on the first syllable. Highways * - US 93 - to Challis (north) and Arco (south) Etymology ...

, to Jean Elizabeth Burnett and Chase A. Clark,Passehl, Erin and Alan Virta. "Bethine Church Collection." n.pag. Boise State University Albertsons Library Digital Collections. Web. 17 Sep 2013. . Bethine Clark's family was prominent in Idaho politics during the first half of the 20th century. Her grandfather Joseph was elected the first mayor of

Idaho Falls Idaho Falls (Shoshoni language, Shoshoni: Dembimbosaage) is a city in and the county seat of Bonneville County, Idaho, Bonneville County, Idaho, United States. It is the state's largest city outside the Boise metropolitan area. As of the 2020 Un ...

in 1900. Chase Clark and Bethine's uncle,

Barzilla Clark Barzilla Worth Clark (December 22, 1880 – September 21, 1943) was an American politician from Idaho. He served as the 16th governor of Idaho mayor of Idaho Falls, and was a member of the Idaho Democratic Party. Early life and education ...

, both served as mayor of Idaho Falls and were both elected

Governor of Idaho A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political r ...

for a two-year term, Chase Clark serving from 1941 to 1943. After losing his 1942 reelection bid, Chase Clark was appointed to the

U.S. District Court The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

for the District of Idaho by President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

. Her cousin D. Worth Clark represented Idaho in Washington as a member of the

U.S. House The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

and later the U.S. Senate. While attending

Idaho Falls High School Idaho Falls High School (IFHS) is a four-year public secondary school in central Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA. The current building opened in 1952, though the school itself has been in operation since 1897. Idaho Falls is the older of the two tradition ...

, Clark participated in the debate club and student government. After her father was elected governor during her senior year, the family moved to

Boise Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown area's ...

. While attending

Boise High School Boise High School is a public secondary school in Boise, Idaho, one of five traditional high schools within the city limits, four of which are in the Boise School District. A three-year comprehensive high school, Boise High is located on the outly ...

, Bethine met junior Frank Church and they became close friends. After graduation in 1941, she attended Boise Junior College (now

Boise State University Boise State University (BSU) is a public research university in Boise, Idaho. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding baccalaureate and master's degrees It became a publ ...

) for a year, and was elected freshman class vice president. Frank Church graduated from Boise High in 1942 and enrolled at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

; Clark transferred to the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), ...

, "her father's alma mater," and graduated in 1945 with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...

Bethine and Frank Church

While Clark was in Ann Arbor and after, she and Church stayed in touch by letters. After a year at Stanford, Church enlisted in the military in 1943, and served as a

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can b ...

officer in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

, and

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

." After returning from military service, he returned to Stanford and proposed marriage to Clark; the couple announced their engagement in December 1946. On June 21, 1947, they were married at the Clark family ranch, Robinson Bar Ranch (), located east of

Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

. (The ranch was later owned by singer

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one ...

.) Frank completed his bachelor's degree in political science at Stanford in 1947 and enrolled at

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

that September, but was forced to withdraw and transfer to

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...

after being diagnosed with cancer. While he was undergoing cancer treatments, the couple welcomed their first child Frank Forrester IV in 1948 on September 23. At age 32 in 1956, Frank ran for the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

and beat first-term incumbent

Herman Welker Herman Orville Welker (December 11, 1906 – October 30, 1957) was an American politician from the state of Idaho. He was a member of the Idaho Republican Party and served one term in the United States Senate, from 1951 to 1957. Early years Born ...

of Payette. The following year the family moved to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

and adopted a son and named him Chase Clark Church. Frank Church served four terms in the Senate but was defeated for reelection in

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

Steve Symms Steven Douglas Symms (born April 23, 1938) is an American politician and lobbyist who served as a four-term congressman (1973–81) and two-term U.S. Senator (1981–93), representing Idaho. He is a partner at Parry, Romani, DeConcini & Symms, a ...

. Early in 1984, Church was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and he died on April 8 at age 59. In many ways Bethine Clark was as politically active as her husband, actively participating in his campaigns for the Senate and his 1976 presidential campaign. Throughout his time as senator, Bethine's involvement in her husband's campaigns and active participation in public life earned her the informal title as "Idaho's third senator." Coming from a very politically involved and powerful family, Bethine Church was a natural for a career in public service. She chaired or served as a trustee to many committees and organizations over the years. After Frank’s death, Bethine continued her work in politics, on the national level as well as the state level. In later life she was known as the "matriarch of the

Idaho Democratic Party The Idaho Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Idaho. While the party has been in the minority for most of the state's history, it has produced several notable public figures, including former U.S. sena ...

Political life

Bethine Church was urged to run for the Senate in 1986. If she had decided to run, she would have been fighting for the same seat which her husband had previously held for 24 years. Church knew she didn't fit into the classic mold for a politician's wife: "I have often described my life in Washington as like Cinderella's—I was either cleaning the fireplace or going to the ball." Until her death Bethine Church was still involved with many organizations, including: *Chairperson of The Frank Church Institute,

*President and Founder of The Sawtooth Society *Governing Council member of The Wilderness Society *Honorary Board Member of the Terry Reilly Health Services *Sustaining Member of the Boise Junior League *Member of the

Idaho Conservation League The Idaho Conservation League (ICL) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization devoted to protecting Idaho's environment. "The ICL preserves Idaho's clean water, wilderness and quality of life through citizen action, public education, and professional ...

Church held many other prestigious titles over her career, including: *Past Honorary Co-Chair, Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial, Boise *Past Advisory Board Member, Basque Museum & Cultural Center, Boise *Martin Institute for Peace Studies Advisory Board, Moscow, Idaho *Trustee, Boise State University Foundation *President’s Advisory Committee,

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

, Washington, D.C. *Better Business Bureau "Integrity Counts" Contest – Chair of Judges *Finance Committee, Idaho State Democratic Party *BSU Radio Network Community Advisory Board *Emeritus Member, Board of Directors, U.S. Capitol Historical Society, Washington D.C. *Trustee, Meridian House in Washington, D.C. *Member, Past President,

OpenSecrets OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from a merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP). ...

, Washington, D.C. *Trustee,

Future Homemakers of America Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA, formerly known as Future Homemakers of America) is a nonprofit national career and technical student organization for young men and women in Family and Consumer Sciences education in public ...

Foundation, Reston, Virginia *Advisory Board, A Television History of Idaho, IP-TV, Boise, Idaho *Member, Governor’s Task Force on Home Care, 1991–92, Idaho

Death

Church died at age 90 in Boise on December 21, 2013. Her son Chase announced her death on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

."Bethine Church, Sen. Frank Church's political partner, dies at 90"
''

Idaho Statesman The ''Idaho Statesman'' is the daily newspaper of Boise, Idaho, in the western United States. It is owned by The McClatchy Company. History The paper was first published as the ''Idaho Tri-Weekly Statesman'' on July 26, 1864, by James S. Reynolds ...

'', December 21, 2013. (accessed 7 January 2014)

References

External links