Clyde Cretsinger
OfficeMember of the Nebraska Legislature from the 39th district
Term startApril 13, 1954
Term endJanuary 4, 1955
PredecessorJoshua Brown
SuccessorDonald McGinley
Term start 1January 7, 1947
Term end 1January 2, 1951
Predecessor 1Carl Jeffords
Successor 1Joshua Brown
Birth dateOctober 21, 1895
Birth placeCoon Rapids, Iowa
Death dateJanuary 12, 1965 (aged 69)
Death placeTucson, Arizona
PartyRepublican
EducationCapital City Commercial College
SpouseFlora Morse (m. 1923)
OccupationFarmer

Clyde Franklin Cretsinger (October 21, 1895 – January 12, 1965) was a Republican politician from Nebraska who served as a member of the Nebraska Legislature from the 39th district from 1947 to 1951 and again from 1954 to 1955.

Early life

Cretsinger was born in Coon Rapids, Iowa, and graduated from Coon Rapids High School, and later attended the Capital City Commercial College in Des Moines.[1] He mserved in the U.S. Air Service during World War I, and moved to Nebraska in 1919,[1] settling in Keith County, where he maintained a farm and raised livestock.[2]

Nebraska Legislature

In 1946, Cretsinger ran for the state legislature from the 39th district, which included Arthur, Blaine, Deuel, Garden, Grant, Hooker, Keith, Logan, McPherson, and Thomas counties in western Nebraska.[2] He ran against incumbent State Senator Carl Jeffords, who was seeking his third term.[2] In the primary election, Cretsinger placed second, receiving 40 percent of the vote to Jeffords's 60 percent,[3] They advanced to the general election,[4] where Cretsinger defeated Jeffords by a wide margin, winning 59–41 percent.[3][5]

Cretsinger ran for re-election in 1948, and was challenged by Jeffords in a rematch of their 1946 campaign.[6] Cretsinger placed first in the primary by a wide margin, winning 61 percent of the vote to Jeffords's 39 percent, and ultimately defeated Jeffords in the general election with 58 percent of the vote.[7][8]

In 1950, Cretsinger ran for a third term, and was challenged by Keith County Supervisor Joshua Brown and rancher D. E. Bauer.[9][10] Cretsinger placed first in the primary election, receiving 52 percent of the vote to Brown's 35 percent and Bauder's 12 percent,[11] and advanced to the general election with Brown.[12] Cretsinger narrowly lost to Brown, receiving 48 percent of the vote to his 52 percent.[11][13]

Brown was re-elected to the legislature in 1952, and in 1954, resigned, citing ill health.[14] Governor Robert B. Crosby appointed Cretsinger to serve out the remainder of Brown's term,[14] and he was sworn in on April 13, 1954.[15] Cretsinger declined to run for a full term in the election.[16] He was elected as an alternate delegate to the Nebraska Republican Party convention in 1954 from Keith County.[17]

Post-legislative career

On February 16, 1955, Cretsinger was appointed by Governor Victor Anderson to the newly created Nebraska Board of Educational Lands and Funds.[18] He served a several-month term until the board was permanently established, and was appointed to a four-year term on August 5, 1955.[19] At the expiration of Cretsinger's term in 1959, Governor Ralph G. Brooks appointed H. L. Blackledge as his successor.[20]

Death

Cretsinger died on January 12, 1965, in Tucson, Arizona, while he was on vacation after attending the Cotton Bowl.[21]

References

  1. ^ Nebraska Blue Book 1954. Nebraska Legislative Council. 1955. p. 271. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  2. ^ "Clyde F. Cretsinger, Stockman-Farmer, Files For Uni-Cameral". Paxton Times. April 5, 1946. p. 1. Retrieved April 19, 2026. – via Newspapers.com
  3. ^ Marsh, Frank (1946). Official Report of the Nebraska State Canvassing Board, Primary Election, June 11, 1946, General Election, November 5, 1946. Nebraska Secretary of State. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  4. ^ "Senator Butler and Val Peterson Poll Big Votes at Keith County Polls". Keith County News. June 13, 1946. p. 1. Retrieved April 19, 2026. – via Newspapers.com
  5. ^ "Cretsinger Elected to Legislature". Keith County News. November 7, 1946. p. 1. Retrieved April 19, 2026. – via Newspapers.com
  6. ^ "Carl Jeffords, Mullen, Files for Unicameral". Grant County Tribune. March 11, 1948. p. 1. Retrieved April 19, 2026. – via Newspapers.com
  7. ^ Marsh, Frank (1948). Official Report of the Nebraska State Canvassing Board, Primary Election, April 13, 1948, General Election, November 2, 1948. Nebraska Secretary of State. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  8. ^ "Democrats Spring the Up-Set of a Generation". Paxton Times. November 5, 1948. p. 1. Retrieved April 19, 2026. – via Newspapers.com
  9. ^ "Josh Brown Legislative Candidate". Keith County News. February 27, 1950. p. 1. Retrieved April 19, 2026. – via Newspapers.com
  10. ^ "Thedford Senatorial Candidate Visitor". Keith County News. July 17, 1950. p. 1. Retrieved April 19, 2026. – via Newspapers.com
  11. ^ Marsh, Frank (1950). Official Report of the Nebraska State Canvassing Board, Primary Election, August 8, 1950, General Election, November 7, 1950. Nebraska Secretary of State. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  12. ^ "Gov. Peterson and Carpenter Get Nod in Garden County". Star-Herald. August 10, 1950. p. 7. Retrieved April 19, 2026. – via Newspapers.com
  13. ^ "Brown Is Elected To Legislature". Keith County News. November 9, 1950. p. 1. Retrieved April 19, 2026. – via Newspapers.com
  14. ^ "Cretsinger Is Named To State Legislature". Lincoln Star. April 16, 1954. p. 9. Retrieved April 19, 2026. – via Newspapers.com
  15. ^ Srb, Hugo F. (ed.) (1954). Legislative Journal of the State of Nebraska: Sixty-Sixth (Extraordinary) Session. p. 4. Retrieved April 19, 2026.
  16. ^ "Cretsinger To Succeed Josh Brown". Keith County News. April 15, 1954. p. 1. Retrieved April 19, 2026. – via Newspapers.com
  17. ^ "County Political Party Conventions Held on Thursday". Paxton Times. September 3, 1954. p. 1. Retrieved April 19, 2026. – via Newspapers.com
  18. ^ "Cretsinger Named to New Board". Keith County News. February 17, 1955. p. 1. Retrieved April 19, 2026. – via Newspapers.com
  19. ^ "Governor Reappoints Board of Education". Evening World-Herald. August 6, 1955. p. 12. Retrieved April 19, 2026. – via Newspapers.com
  20. ^ "Kearney Man To Lands Post". Lincoln Evening Journal. October 9, 1959. p. 5. Retrieved April 19, 2026. – via Newspapers.com
  21. ^ "Clyde Cretsinger, 71, Former State Senator Is Dead". Lincoln Star. January 18, 1965. p. 2. Retrieved April 19, 2026. – via Newspapers.com