Clifton Nesmith McArthur (June 10, 1879 – December 9, 1923) was a U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

, and grandson of Senator James Willis Nesmith. His father was a member of the Oregon Supreme Court

Oregon Supreme Court

The Oregon Supreme Court is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. The OSC holds court at the Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon, near the capitol...

, and Clifton twice served as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives

Oregon House of Representatives

The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....

.

Early life

McArthur was born in The Dalles, Oregon

The Dalles, Oregon

The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is...

 on June 10, 1879. His father was Lewis Linn McArthur

Lewis Linn McArthur

Lewis Linn McArthur was an American newspaper publisher and judge in the state of Oregon. He was an Oregon Supreme Court associate justice and the father of Lewis A. McArthur, the first editor of the Oregon Geographic Names publications. He served on the court from 1870 to 1878...

, who served on the Oregon Supreme Court, and his mother was Harriet K. Nesmith. Clifton’s only brother was Lewis A. McArthur, who would write the first edition of the Oregon Geographic Names

Oregon Geographic Names

Oregon Geographic Names is an authoritative compilation of the origin and meaning of place names in the U.S. state of Oregon. , the book is in its seventh edition and is compiled and edited by Lewis L. McArthur, who took over from his father, Lewis A. McArthur, as of the fourth edition...

. Clifton attended the public schools at Rickreall

Rickreall, Oregon

Rickreall is an unincorporated community in Polk County, Oregon, United States. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Rickreall as a census-designated place . The census definition of the area may not precisely correspond to local understanding of the area with the...

, and the Bishop Scott Academy

Bishop Scott Academy

Bishop Scott Academy was a school located in Portland, Oregon, United States. Affiliated with the Episcopal Church, the school was named for the Reverend Thomas Fielding Scott. The school opened in 1870 to educate young men in good citizenship and prepare them to enter the ministry...

 in Portland

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

. In 1902 he graduated from the University of Oregon

University of Oregon

-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...

 in Eugene

Eugene, Oregon

Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...

. After college he worked as a reporter for the Morning Oregonian

The Oregonian

The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...

from 1901 to 1903. McArthur then engaged in agricultural pursuits near Rickreall from 1903 to 1906 and studied the law in order to become a lawyer. He was admitted to the bar

Bar association

A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...

 in 1906 and commenced practice in Portland. On June 25, 1913, he married Lucille Smith, and they would not have any children.

Political career

In 1908, McArthur served as secretary of the Republican State central committee. Then from 1908 until 1911 he was secretary to Oregon Governor Frank W. Benson. During part of this time he was elected to serve in the State house of representatives in 1909 and 1913 as a Republican representing Multnomah County

Multnomah County, Oregon

Multnomah County is one of 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. Though smallest in area, it is the most populous as its county seat, Portland, is the state's largest city...

. McArthur served as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives

Oregon House of Representatives

The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....

 in 1909 and 1913.

Clifton McArthur was elected as a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 to the Sixty-fourth

64th United States Congress

The Sixty-fourth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1915 to March 4, 1917, during the third and fourth...

 and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving from March 4, 1915 until March 3, 1923. He was an unsuccessful candidate for re-election in 1922 to the Sixty-eighth

68th United States Congress

The Sixty-eighth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1923 to March 4, 1925, during the last months of...

 Congress.

Later life

McArthur resumed the practice of his profession and his former business activities in Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

, where he died December 9, 1923. He remains were cremated and the ashes deposited in the vaults of the Portland Cremation Association.