Senator James McClure

About the collection

This digital collection, compiled in recognition of Senator McClure’s 100th birthday, includes a selection of materials from the University of Idaho Special Collections and Archives’ collections related to Senator McClure, primarily the James A. McClure papers, which includes the original series of donated materials from the McClure family, and the Senator James A. McClure collection, which encompasses more recent acquisitions. Senator McClure began donating his political papers to the University of Idaho Special Collections and Archives following his retirement in 1991. Additional materials have been donated in the time since.

The digital collection highlights McClure’s involvement with natural resources and energy. It also showcases McClure’s duties and relations with constituents during his political service, his post-political career, and his contributions to the University of Idaho.

Senator James McClure: a brief biography

James Albertus McClure was born on December 27, 1924, in Payette, Idaho. He was the third of four children born to William Robertson McClure, Sr. and Marie Freehafer McClure. McClure joined the United States Navy during World War II. Following his service, he earned his law degree from the University of Idaho in 1950. While attending the University of Idaho, he met Louise Miller of Nezperce, Idaho, who was a fellow member of the Vandaleers choral group. Jim proposed in February 1950, and the two were married on September 23, 1950.

Following graduation, McClure returned to Payette and joined his father’s and grandfather’s law practice. From 1950 to 1956 he served as a prosecuting attorney of Payette County, and from 1953 to 1966 he was the city attorney for Payette. Jim and Louise had three children: Marilyn, Kenneth, and David. Future additions to University of Idaho digital collections will focus specifically on the contributions of Louise McClure.

McClure served in the Idaho State Senate for three terms between 1961 and 1966. In 1966, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives, serving the 1st District of Idaho and won reelection in 1968 and 1970. In 1972, McClure was elected to represent Idaho in the United States Senate, a position he held until 1991.

His committee assignments included the House Interior and Insular Affairs Committees, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Interior Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senate Rules Committee, Senate Republican Steering Committee, Helsinki Commission on Human Rights, and Senate Select Committee to investigate the Iran-Contra Affair. During his time in the Senate, McClure’s bipartisan work led to the creation of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, Hells Canyon National Recreation Area, and United States Department of Energy.

Following his retirement from the Senate, McClure and two of his former staff members, Jack Gerard and Tod Neuenschwander, formed the consulting firm McClure, Gerard, & Neuenschwander, Inc., based in Washington, D.C. He also joined his son’s Boise law office following his retirement from the Senate.

During his time at the University of Idaho, Senator McClure was a Vandaleer and a member of Sigma Nu fraternity. He was inducted into the University of Idaho’s Alumni Hall of Fame in 1974. He received the Distinguished Idahoan Award from the University in 1995 and that same year the newly constructed home of the College of Mines and Earth Resources was dedicated the James A. McClure Hall.

Both James and Louise McClure served on the University of Idaho Foundation Board and on the College of Law Advisory Board; as members of the College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences Advancement Council; and as members of the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival Advisory Board. In 2001, the James and Louise McClure Endowment for the Sciences and Public Policy was created.

2005 saw the McClures receive the University of Idaho President’s Medallion in recognition of their contributions to the cultural, economic, scientific, and social advancement of Idaho and its people, and their exceptional service to the state and nation. They served as the grand marshals for the University of Idaho Homecoming parade in 2007 and that same year were recognized by the University of Idaho for their significant contributions with the renaming of the Bureau of Public Affairs Research to the James A. and Louise McClure Center for Public Policy Research. Jim and Louise McClure each served as commencement speakers at University of Idaho graduation ceremonies over the years, and Louise McClure received an honorary doctorate from the university in 2011.

McClure and his wife, Louise, made their retirement homes in Boise and McCall, Idaho, until his death in 2011. Louise McClure died in 2021.

Anyone interested in further researching Senator McClure’s life and career is invited to contact the University of Idaho Special Collections and Archives at libspec@uidaho.edu.

Sources

• James A. McClure, James A. and Louise McClure Center for Public Policy Research, retrieved 11 December 2024.
• James A. McClure papers finding aid, University of Idaho Special Collections and Archive, retrieved 11 December 2024.
• Senator James A. McClure collection finding aid, University of Idaho Special Collections and Archive, retrieved 11 December 2024.
• Idaho Experience: James McClure: Idaho’s Humble Giant, Idaho Public Television, retrieved December 2024.