C. Douglass Buck: Difference between revisions

|officejr/sr = [[United States Senate|United States Senator]]<br/>from [[Delaware]]

|spouse = Alice Hounsfield du Pont

'''Clayton Douglass Buck''' (March 21, 1890 – January 27, 1965) was an American engineer and politician from [[New Castle Hundred]], [[New Castle County, Delaware]]. He was a veteran of [[World War I]] and a member of the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]], who served two terms as governor and one term as [[U.S. senator|U.S. Senator]] from Delaware. He was known by his middle name.

Buck was born at [[Buena Vista (St. Georges, Delaware)|Buena Vista]] near [[New Castle, Delaware]], son of Francis N. and Margaret Douglass Buck. His father was from [[Philadelphia]] and his mother was related to U.S. Senator and [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] [[John M. Clayton]]. He married Alice Hounsfield du Pont, daughter of U.S. Senator [[T. Coleman du Pont]], and they had two children, Clayton Douglass, Jr. and Mrs. Dorcas Van Dyke Farquhar. They were members of Immanuel Episcopal Church in New Castle. He was educated at the [[Wilmington Friends School]] and the attended the University of Pennsylvania Engineering School for two years, serving in the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] during World War I.

Buck was elected [[List of governors of Delaware|Governor of Delaware]] in 1928, defeating [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] Charles M. Wharton. During this term the New York Stock Market crashed, signaling the beginning of the [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]]. Fortunately, about the same time, [[Alfred I. du Pont]] had begun an effort to provide financial relief to those in the most need. Having failed to get such relief enacted by the [[Delaware General Assembly]], on November 1, 1929, du Pont began mailing out personal checks of sixteen [[US dollar|dollars]] to some eight hundred people. After spending some $350,000 of his own money, du Pont, appointed by Buck as chairman of the Old Age Welfare Commission, persuaded the General Assembly to take over the program in late 1930. As the economic situation continued to worsen, Buck called the General Assembly into session in November 1932 and also persuaded them to pass a $2 million emergency relief measure.

Buck was elected to a second term as governor in 1932, defeating Landreth L. Layton, the Democratic candidate, thereby becoming the first governor to be reelected under the [[Constitution of Delaware|Delaware Constitution of 1897]]. In doing so he was one of only two Republican governors elected that year, while Delaware was one of only six states voting to reelect [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] [[Herbert Hoover]]. In June 1932, Delaware became the seventh state to ratify the [[Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution|21st Amendment]] to the [[United States Constitution]], allowing the sale of alcoholic beverages. Governor Buck appointed State Tax Commissioner [[Pierre S. du Pont]] to head up a new State Liquor Commission to manage and tax newly available alcohol.

Buck continued to seek relief for the distressed state and in October 1933 called the [[General Assembly]] back into session to consider borrowing money from the Federal government. Once it was clear the General Assembly would never reach agreement on this measure, Buck took the unprecedented step of adjourning their session. Shortly thereafter teachers and state employees began taking reductions in their pay. In 1935 Buck had the State Highway Department assigned responsibility for the roads in the state that had formerly been maintained by the counties.

Several years later, in 1942, Buck was elected to the [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]], defeating Democrat E. Ennalls Berl, a [[Wilmington, Delaware|Wilmington]] lawyer. During the [[80th United States Congress|80th Congress]] he was chairman of the District of Columbia Committee. Buck lost his bid for a second term in 1948 to Democrat [[J. Allen Frear Jr.|J. Allen Frear, Jr]]., a businessman from [[Dover, Delaware]]. From 1953 until 1957 he was the Tax Commissioner of Delaware, another position held frequently by a member of the Dudu Pont family.

Buck died at [[Buena Vista (St. Georges, Delaware)|Buena Vista]] near [[New Castle, Delaware|New Castle]] and is buried in the [[Immanuel Episcopal Church on the Green#Cemetery|Immanuel Episcopal Church Cemetery]] at New Castle.

Remaining a conservative Republican to the end of his life, he backed Ohio U.S. Senator [[Robert A. Taft]] and Arizona U.S. Senator [[Barry Goldwater]] in their presidential campaigns. His home, Buena Vista, was donated to the [[Delaware|State of Delaware]] and is now used as a conference center. It was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1971.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref> There is a Buck Road, in [[Greenville, Delaware]].

*{{cite book |title = Clearing New Ground, The Life of John G. Townsend, Jr. |last= Carter |first= Richard B. |work= |publisher= The Delaware Heritage Press |location= Wilmington, Delaware |pages= |year= 2001 |isbn= 0-924117-20-6}}

*{{cite book |title = Democracy in Delaware |last= Hoffecker |first= Carol E. |work= |publisher= Cedar Tree Books |location= Wilmington, Delaware |pages= |year= 2004 |isbn= 1-892142-23-6}}

*{{cite book |title = Honest John Williams |last= Hoffecker |first= Carol E. |work= |publisher= University of Delaware Press |location= Newark, Delaware |pages= |year= 2000 |id=}}

*{{cite book |title = Elbert N. Carvel |last= Martin |first= Roger |work= |publisher= Delaware Heritage Press |location= Wilmington, Delaware |pages= |year= 1997 |isbn= 0-924117-08-7}}

*{{cite book |title = History of Delaware Through its Governors |last= Martin |first= Roger A. |work= |publisher= McClafferty Press |location= Wilmington, Delaware |pages= |year= 1984 |id=}}*{{cite book |title = History of Delaware |last= Munroe |first= John A. |work= |publisher= University of Delaware Press |location= Newark, Delaware |pages= |year= 1993 |isbn= 0-87413-493-5}}

{{s-ttl|title=[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominee for [[List of governors of Delaware|Governor of Delaware]]|years=[[1928 Delaware gubernatorial election|1928]], [[1932 Delaware gubernatorial election|1932]]}}

{{s-ttl|title=[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominee for [[United States Senator|U.S. Senator]] from [[Delaware]]<br>([[Classes of United States Senators|Class 2]])|years=[[1942 United States Senate electionselection in Delaware|1942]], [[1948 United States Senate elections,election 1948in Delaware|1948]]}}

[[Category:20th-century American Episcopalians]]

[[Category:American militaryMilitary personnel of World Warfrom IDelaware]]

[[Category:DelawareUnited RepublicansStates Army personnel of World War I]]

[[Category:GovernorsRepublican Party governors of Delaware]]

[[Category:Republican Party stateUnited governorsStates ofsenators thefrom United StatesDelaware]]