Edmonds, Clyde C. (Clyde Candland), 1890-1973

Edmonds was General manager of the Utah Poultry and Farmers Cooperative and a member of Latter-day Saint Church Welfare Committee.

General manager, Utah Poultry and Farmers Cooperative; member, Latter-day Saint Church Welfare Committee.

Clyde C. Edmonds (1890-1973) was the general manager of Utah Poultry Producers Cooperative, active in the National Council of Farmers Cooperative, and a member of the Welfare Committee of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Clyde C. Edmonds, a noted figure in the poultry industry, was born March 6, 1890 in Salt Lake City, Utah and began his career there as a banker. In 1911, he was called to serve as a missionary in England, for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

After his mission Edmonds returned to banking, and organized a small bank in Gunnison, Utah, serving as cashier for three years, During these years, his close contact with agriculture and its problems led him to participate in the organization of two or three cooperatives. Edmonds finally left banking for cooperative marketing with the feeling that he could be of more service in this field.

During this period of his life, Edmonds became an organizer and leader of many poultry cooperatives, including the Utah Poultry Producers Cooperative in which he served as Secretary-Treasurer and later as General Manager. When he retired in 1955, this was the third largest cooperative in the nation. He was also active in the creation and leadership of the National Council of Farmers Cooperative, the Associated Poultry and Egg Industries, and the National Poultry Producers Federation, among others.

Edmonds served on many boards, including the American Institute of Cooperation on which he was a trustee for many years. During World War II, he served on a seven- man committee known as the National Poultry Defense Committee and on numerous national advisory committees to the United States Department of Agriculture and the Price Administration Office. After his retirement in 1955, he served the State of Utah as the head of State Welfare under Governor George D. Clyde.

Edmonds was also active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and he served as a member of the first General Church Welfare Committee, from 1937 to 1947. As a member of that committee, he accompanied General Authorities of the Church to Stake Conferences as a welfare specialist and answered public questions on the church welfare program. He also served as the chairman of the Employment Committee and worked to provide job opportunities for returning World War II veterans.

Clyde C. Edmonds was a well respected man in his field of endeavor. Among his many awards was the Industry Service Award, which made mention of his business ability, his church service, and his kind disposition. His personal friends knew him as a kind and generous man. For example, after his death in Salt Lake City, on December 25, 1973, his wife was surprised to find that he had given his burial plot to his brother who had been out of work.