Raymond F. Clevenger
Encyclopedia
Raymond Francis Clevenger (born June 6, 1926) was a U.S. Representative
from the U.S. state
of Michigan
.
Clevenger was born in Chicago and attended schools in Oak Park, Illinois
, graduating from high school in 1944. He served in the United States Army
Medical Corps
from July 1944 to July 1946. He resumed his education and attended Roosevelt University
in Chicago and the London School of Economics and Political Science. He graduated from Roosevelt University in 1949 and from the University of Michigan Law School
in 1952.
He began the practice of law in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
in 1953. He was a delegate to Democratic State Conventions, 1954-1964 and a delegate to the 1956 Democratic National Convention
. He practiced law in Illinois
, as well as Michigan, and before the United States federal courts
and served as Chippewa County
Circuit Court Commissioner, 1958-1960. He was a member of the Democratic State Central Committee, 1958-1960. He was also Michigan Corporation and Securities Commissioner, 1961-1963.
In 1964, he defeated incumbent Republican
Victor A. Knox
to be elected as a Democrat
from Michigan's 11th congressional district
to the Eighty-ninth Congress
, serving from January 3, 1965 to January 3, 1967. He was known as one of the Michigan Five Fluke Freshmen
and was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1966, and again in 1968, losing both times to Republican Philip Ruppe.
Clevenger was appointed by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson
as chairman, Great Lakes Basin Commission
, 1967-1968. He later resumed the practice of law and campaigned in 1989 for Mayor of Ann Arbor, Michigan
, losing to Republican incumbent Gerald D. Jernigan
. He currently resides in Ann Arbor.
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 the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
Clevenger was born in Chicago and attended schools in Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...
, graduating from high school in 1944. He served in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Medical Corps
Medical Corps (United States Army)
The Medical Corps of the U.S. Army is a staff corps of the U.S. Army Medical Department consisting of commissioned medical officers – physicians with either an MD or a DO degree, at least one year of post-graduate clinical training, and a state medical license.The MC traces its earliest origins...
from July 1944 to July 1946. He resumed his education and attended Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University is a coeducational, private university with campuses in Chicago, Illinois and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university is named in honor of both former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The university's curriculum is based on...
in Chicago and the London School of Economics and Political Science. He graduated from Roosevelt University in 1949 and from the University of Michigan Law School
University of Michigan Law School
The University of Michigan Law School is the law school of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Founded in 1859, the school has an enrollment of about 1,200 students, most of whom are seeking Juris Doctor or Master of Laws degrees, although the school also offers a Doctor of Juridical...
in 1952.
He began the practice of law in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...
in 1953. He was a delegate to Democratic State Conventions, 1954-1964 and a delegate to the 1956 Democratic National Convention
1956 Democratic National Convention
The 1956 National Convention of the Democratic Party nominated former Governor Adlai Stevenson of Illinois for President and Senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee for Vice President. It was held in the International Amphitheatre on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois August 13–17 1956. Unsuccessful...
. He practiced law in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, as well as Michigan, and before the United States federal courts
United States federal courts
The United States federal courts make up the judiciary branch of federal government of the United States organized under the United States Constitution and laws of the federal government.-Categories:...
and served as Chippewa County
Chippewa County, Michigan
-National protected areas:* Harbor Island National Wildlife Refuge* Hiawatha National Forest * Whitefish Point Unit of the Seney National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:...
Circuit Court Commissioner, 1958-1960. He was a member of the Democratic State Central Committee, 1958-1960. He was also Michigan Corporation and Securities Commissioner, 1961-1963.
In 1964, he defeated incumbent 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...
Victor A. Knox
Victor A. Knox
Victor Alfred Knox was a politician from the U.S. state of Michigan.Knox was born on a farm in Chippewa County, Michigan, near Sault Ste. Marie. He attended the public schools and engaged in farming until 1943. He was the treasurer of Soo Township in 1923 and 1924, and Chippewa County supervisor,...
to be elected as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
from Michigan's 11th congressional district
Michigan's 11th congressional district
Michigan's 11th congressional district is a United States Congressional District located just northwest of Detroit, consisting of northwestern Wayne and southwestern Oakland counties...
to the Eighty-ninth Congress
89th United States Congress
-House of Representatives:- Senate :* President of the Senate: Hubert Humphrey , starting January 20, 1965* President pro tempore: Carl Hayden - Majority leadership :* Majority Leader and Democratic Conference Chairman: Mike Mansfield...
, serving from January 3, 1965 to January 3, 1967. He was known as one of the Michigan Five Fluke Freshmen
Michigan Five Fluke Freshmen
The Michigan Five Fluke Freshmen is term given to five members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan that were elected in the Democratic landslide of 1964 and subsequently defeated just two years later by a Republican resurgence. All of the five were one-term congressmen...
and was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1966, and again in 1968, losing both times to Republican Philip Ruppe.
Clevenger was appointed by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
as chairman, Great Lakes Basin Commission
Great Lakes Commission
The Great Lakes Commission is a United States interstate agency established in 1955 through the Great Lakes Compact, in order to "promote the orderly, integrated and comprehensive development, use and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes Basin," which includes the Saint Lawrence...
, 1967-1968. He later resumed the practice of law and campaigned in 1989 for Mayor of Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
, losing to Republican incumbent Gerald D. Jernigan
Gerald D. Jernigan
Gerald D. Jernigan was mayor of the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan, from 1987 to 1991.-Biography:Born in Flint, Michigan, Jernigan served a four-year stint in the United States Air Force, then earned a B.S. in finance from Michigan State University and an MBA from Western Michigan University...
. He currently resides in Ann Arbor.