Mullendore, William Clinton, 1892-

President, board chairman of Southern California Edison Company and active in conservative movements, especially the Foundation for Economic Education.

William Clinton Mullendore (1892-1983) was a special representative for the American Relief Administration in London and Berlin in 1920. He served as assistant to Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover from 1922 to 1923. He was executive vice president (1931-1945), president (1945-1954), and chairman of the board (1954-1959) of the Southern California Edison Company.

William Clinton Mullendore was born in Howard, Kansas, May 18, 1892. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan in 1914, and completed a Doctor of Law there in 1916. He was admitted to the Kansas bar in 1916 and began general law practice in Winfield, Kansas 1916-1917.

During World War I, Mullendore served as a flying cadet in 1918 under the administration of Woodrow Wilson. In 1920 he spent time in London and Berlin as a special representative of the American Relief Administration. He was recalled to the United States by Herbert Hoover where, as a principal member of the U.S. Food Administration, he coordinated the purchasing and distribution of over $5 billion (nearly 34 metric tons) of American-produced food to western and eastern European allies, and to Russia. Mullendore wrote the official history and detailed the intricate documentation of this reconstructive period in a book, The History of the U.S. Food Administration, published in 1921.

In 1921 he also returned to his law practice in Winfield, Kansas, marrying Esther Andrews in 1922. He was asked to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce to Herbert Hoover in Washington, D.C., 1922-1923. Between 1923 and 1928 Mullendore established a general law practice in Los Angeles, California. He became special counsel to Southern California Edison Company in 1925 and served as the company's general attorney in 1929. He continued to move up in the company, serving as vice-president in 1930, executive vice-president 1931-1945, president 1945-1954, and chairman of the board, 1954-1959.

Throughout his years with Southern California Edison, Mullendore was quite active in a number of other clubs and organizations. He held positions as director of the California Bar Association, trustee of Scripps College, director of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The idea for a Western States Chamber of Commerce Conference emerged from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Convening in Stanford, California, delegates resolved to create a united front among business leadership, and formed the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) in 1946. In order to broaden their base of financial support and publicize concrete goals, the FEE published Notes. from the FEE, a newsletter, and distributed pamphlets. Prominent businessmen such as Henry Ford II, Charles Kettering, R. R. Williams, and William Scripps were contacted as supporters. Mullendore was elected a trustee of the Foundation, and during the succeeding decade corresponded at length with its members, notably Leonard Read, Chairman.

In ensuing years Mullendore was consulted about a variety of business matters other than those dealing directly with the FEE. These included the advisability of beginning a new conservative publishing house and the distribution of various other foundation funds. Mullendore was asked to review manuscripts, textbooks, and to critique speeches, which he did in exacting detail. In the 1950's and 1960's Mullendore accepted numerous speaking engagements to espouse his interests in establishing a national fiscal policy to curb inflation, strengthening free choice, and reducing government control. Further biographical information is not available.