Clyde Taylor Ellis (December 21, 1908 – February 9, 1980) was an American politician and a

U.S. Representative 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 c ...

from

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

Biography

Born on a farm near

Garfield, Arkansas Garfield is a town in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 502 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Northwest Arkansas region. History Garfield was platted in 1883. A post office has been in operation at Garfield since 18 ...

, Ellis was the son of Cecil Oscar and Minerva Jane Taylor Ellis. He attended the public schools of

Fayetteville, Arkansas Fayetteville () is the second-largest city in Arkansas, the county seat of Washington County, and the biggest city in Northwest Arkansas. The city is on the outskirts of the Boston Mountains, deep within the Ozarks. Known as Washington until ...

. He also attended the

University of Arkansas at Fayetteville The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

from which he received a B.S.; the school of law at the same university; as well as

George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest top law school in the national capital. GW Law offers the largest range of cou ...

and

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...

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, ...

He married Izella Baker on December 20, 1931, and they had two daughters, Patricia Suzanne Ellis Marti and Mary Lynn Ellis Duty.

Career

Ellis was a teacher in the rural schools at

in 1927 and 1928; then Superintendent of Schools at

from 1929 to 1934.

Admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1933, he commenced practice at

Bentonville, Arkansas Bentonville is the List of cities and towns in Arkansas, tenth-largest city in Arkansas, United States and the county seat of Benton County, Arkansas, Benton County. The city is centrally located in the county with Rogers, Arkansas, Rogers adja ...

. He served in the State House of Representatives from 1933 to 1935, and as member of the State Senate from 1935 to 1939. He was a delegate to the Democrat National Convention in 1940. Elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Seventy-sixth Congress, Ellis was reelected to the Seventy-seventh Congress, and served from January 3, 1939 to January 3, 1943. He was not a candidate for reelection in 1942 but was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

. Ellis served as combat officer, Lieutenant, in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

from 1943 to 1945. He was the first general manager (CEO) of the

National Rural Electric Cooperative Association The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) represents the interests of over 900 electric cooperatives in the United States. Cooperatives are not-for-profit and are owned by their membership. Founded in 1942, NRECA unites the coun ...

, from January 1943 until his retirement in September 1967. He was appointed as special consultant to the Secretary of Agriculture, January 1968 to January 1969, and served as special area development assistant to Senator John L. McClellan from February 1971 until 1977. He returned to the staff of the Secretary of Agriculture and was employed there until his retirement in August 1979. He resided in

Chevy Chase, Maryland Chevy Chase () is the name of both a town and an unincorporated census-designated place (Chevy Chase (CDP), Maryland) that straddle the northwest border of Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Several settlements in th ...

. Ellis was known as "Mr. Rural Electrification" and wrote a book titled "A Giant Step," which was published in 1966. The work was dedicated "...to the people of the rural electrification program – past and present." It is semi-autobiographical and describes relevant contributions from many of the greatest proponents of rural electrification that Ellis came to work with in his career.

Death

Ellis died from a stroke in

, on February 9, 1980 (age 71 years, 50 days). He is

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

, Arlington, Virginia. He was the father of two children and the grandfather of Diana West, a noted author and lecturer on breastfeeding issues.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Clyde Taylor 1908 births 1980 deaths American cooperative organizers United States Navy officers Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Arkansas George Washington University Law School alumni 20th-century American politicians