Clark W. McDonnell
Encyclopedia
Clark W. McDonnell was a North Dakota Republican Party
North Dakota Republican Party
The North Dakota Republican Party is the North Dakota affiliate of the United States Republican Party. The party platform is generally conservative.The North Dakota Republican Party is strongly in control of the state's politics...

 politician who served as a North Dakota Public Service Commissioner from 1941 to 1950. Prior to 1941, his title was North Dakota Railroad Commissioner. He had served in that position since 1920.

Biography

Clark McDonnell was born in Nova Scotia, Canada in 1870. He came to Minnesota in 1883, and began work for the Soo Line Railroad in 1892 as a telegraph operator in Paynesville, Minnesota
Paynesville, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,267 people, 934 households, and 594 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,715.2 people per square mile . There were 984 housing units at an average density of 744.5 per square mile...

. He came to Kensal, North Dakota
Kensal, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 161 people, 68 households, and 49 families residing in the city. The population density was 267.4 people per square mile . There were 86 housing units at an average density of 142.8 per square mile...

 as an agent for the Soo Line in March 1893, and stayed in that position until 1905. He left the railroad industry that year and operated a dray and ice business in Kensal for the next five years. He operated a farm in Foster County
Foster County, North Dakota
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 3,759 people, 1,540 households, and 1,031 families residing in the county. The population density was 2/km² . There were 1,793 housing units at an average density of 1/km²...

 from 1909 to 1923, and served in the North Dakota House of Representatives
North Dakota House of Representatives
The North Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly and is larger than the North Dakota Senate....

 from 1917 to 1920 in the 32nd district. He was elected as North Dakota Railroad Commissioner in 1920. The Railroad Commission became known as the North Dakota Public Service Commission
North Dakota Public Service Commission
The North Dakota Public Service Commission is a constitutional agency that maintains various degrees of statutory authority over utilities, telecommunications, railroads, grain elevators, pipeline safety, and other functions in North Dakota....

 in 1940, and McDonnell served until 1950 when, after winning the Republican primary, he withdrew his name from the ballot in September, and retired at the age of 80. He died two years later aged 81 in Bismarck
Bismarck, North Dakota
Bismarck is the capital of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Burleigh County. It is the second most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. The city's population was 61,272 at the 2010 census, while its metropolitan population was 108,779...

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