Donald Holst "Don" Clausen (April 27, 1923 – February 7, 2015) was an American businessman,

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 opposing ...

veteran, and politician who served ten terms as 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

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

from 1963 to 1983.

Biography

Born in

Ferndale, California Ferndale is a city in Humboldt County, California, United States. Its population was 1,371 at the 2010 census, down from 1,382 at the 2000 census. The city contains dozens of well-preserved Victorian storefronts and homes. Ferndale is the nor ...

, Clausen graduated from elementary and high schools of Ferndale,Clausen, Donald Holst, (1923 - )
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, accessed April 20, 2013 where he was an honors student and lettered five sports: tennis, track, basketball, football and baseball as well as being the drum major of the school band.Retired congressman from Ferndale to celebrate 90th birthday April 27, ''The Ferndale Enterprise'', April 18, 2013 He attended

San José State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...

, California Polytechnic State University (in San Luis Obispo, California),

Weber State University Weber State University (pronounced ) is a public university in Ogden, Utah. It was founded in 1889 as Weber Stake Academy. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. History Weber State University was founded ...

(in Ogden, Utah), and

Saint Mary's College of California Saint Mary's College of California is a private Catholic college in Moraga, California. Established in 1863, it is affiliated with the Catholic Church and administered by the De La Salle Brothers. The college offers undergraduate and graduate ...

. He took part in the

U.S. 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 o ...

V5 Aviation Cadet Program. He served as a carrier pilot in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

from 1944 to 1945, flying

F4U Corsair The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft which saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and initially manufactured by Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contracts ...

aircraft. Post-war, Clausen helped found the

Del Norte County Airport Del Norte County Regional Airport (Jack McNamara Field) is a public airport three miles northwest of Crescent City, in Del Norte County, California, United States. It has one airline flight per day to and from Oakland under the Essential Air S ...

, and served as a member of the board of supervisors of

Del Norte County, California ), in California , seat_type = County seat , seat = Crescent City , parts_type = Largest city , parts = Crescent City , unit_pref = US , area_total_sq_mi = 1230 , area_land_sq_mi = 1006 , area_water_sq_mi = 223 , elevation_max_footnote ...

from 1955 to 1962. He ran two companies in Crescent City, his insurance business, Clausen Associates, and Clausen Flying Service, an air ambulance service, and it was from Crescent City that he served Congress. Clausen was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the Eighty-eighth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

United States 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 ...

Clement Woodnutt Miller (who had been re-elected posthumously), and to the nine succeeding Congresses (January 22, 1963 – January 3, 1983). Clausen authored the bill creating the Lady Bird Johnson Grove in the Redwood National Park. Former president Lyndon Johnson and

Lady Bird Johnson Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson (''née'' Taylor; December 22, 1912 – July 11, 2007) was First Lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969 as the wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson. She previously served as Second Lady from 1961 to 1963 whe ...

, sitting president

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

, and future president Ronald Reagan and many other federal and local dignitaries attended the dedication of the grove. Clausen said that this was his proudest accomplishment. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Ninety-eighth Congress in 1982, narrowly losing to

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 ...

Douglas H. Bosco Douglas Harry Bosco (born July 28, 1946) is an American lawyer, politician, and newspaper owner from California. He is a former U.S. Representative, serving in Congress as a Democrat from 1983 to 1991. Early life Born in Brooklyn, New York ...

. He served as director, special programs, Federal Aviation Administration from 1983 to 1990 and was a resident of

Santa Rosa, California Santa Rosa ( Spanish for " Saint Rose") is a city and the county seat of Sonoma County, in the North Bay region of the Bay Area in California. Its estimated 2019 population was 178,127. It is the largest city in California's Wine Country and ...

after his Congressional tenure ended. The Don Clausen Fish Hatchery in

Sonoma County Sonoma County () is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States Census, its population was 488,863. Its county seat and largest city is Santa Rosa. It is to the north of Marin County and the south of Mendocino ...

was named in his honor and the Redwood National Park Bypass on US Highway 101 was renamed the Don Clausen Highway in 1996 by act of the California Legislature due to his efforts at obtaining appropriations for building that road and the Redwood National Park Visitor Center. Clausen died in a hospital on February 7, 2015 in

Fortuna, California Fortuna (Spanish for "Fortune"; Wiyot: ''Vutsuwitk Da'l'') is a city on the northeast shore of the Eel River, approximately from where it enters the Pacific Ocean, and is on U.S. Route 101 in west-central Humboldt County, California, United St ...

, from complications of

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by long-term respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. The main symptoms include shortness of breath and a cough, which may or may not produce ...

(COPD), and heart and lung disease. His congressional papers are archived at

Humboldt State University California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt also known as Cal Poly Humboldt, Humboldt or Cal Poly"Cal Poly" may also refer to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California or California State Polytechnic Universi ...

library.Don H. Clausen Congressional Papers
2010, accessed April 20, 2013 Clausen CEC Airport

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clausen, Donald Holst 1923 births 2015 deaths Federal Aviation Administration personnel California Polytechnic State University alumni San Jose State University alumni Weber State University alumni Saint Mary's College of California alumni County supervisors in California People from Ferndale, California Businesspeople from California United States Navy pilots of World War II Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California 20th-century American politicians People from Santa Rosa, California 20th-century American businesspeople Military personnel from California