McSpadden, Clem, 1925-2008

<p>Clem Rogers McSpadden (November 9, 1925 – July 7, 2008) was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional District from 1973 to 1975. Prior to his election to the U.S. House, McSpadden was a member of the Oklahoma Senate between 1954 and 1972. He was the grandnephew of Oklahoma comedian and actor Will Rogers.</p>

<p>McSpadden was born on a ranch near the small town of Bushyhead in Rogers County, Oklahoma. He grew up on a ranch owned by Will Rogers in nearby Oologah, where he attended public schools. He served in the United States Navy during World War II (1944–1946). He attended the University of Redlands, North Texas Agricultural College, and the University of Texas before he received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1948 from Oklahoma State University–Stillwater, then known as Oklahoma A&M.</p>

<p>He was first elected to public office in November 1954 when he won a seat in the Oklahoma Senate. He served in that body until 1972, including leading it for two sessions as President pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate.</p>

MCSPADDEN, Clem Rogers, a Representative from Oklahoma; born on a ranch near Bushyhead, Rogers County, Okla., November 9, 1925; educated in the public schools of Oologah, Okla; attended the University of Redlands, Redlands, Calif., North Texas Agricultural College (now Arlington State), and the University of Texas; B.S., Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Okla., 1948; served in the United States Navy, 1944-1946, lieutenant (jg.); elected to the Oklahoma State senate, 1954; reelected and serve until 1972 (elected president pro tempore for two sessions); rancher; insurance executive; real estate developer; professional rodeo announcer; contract director, Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Colorado Springs, Colo.; delegate, Democratic National Convention, 1968; elected as a Democrat to the Ninety-third Congress (January 3, 1973-January 3, 1975); was not a candidate for reelection to the Ninety-fourth Congress in 1974; unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Oklahoma in 1974; died on July 7, 2008, in Houston, Tex.

No one in the history of the National Finals Steer Roping has announced the event more times than Clem McSpadden. McSpadden of Chelsea, Okla., has announced the NFSR 27 times, starting in 1963 with his last coming in 2000. Born Nov. 9, 1925, in Busyhead, Okla., McSpadden has announced rodeos across the United States and Canada, including the Calgary Stampede and the Canadian Finals Rodeo, where he was the first American to announce at those events. In 1986, he was named PRCA Announcer of the Year and Cowboy Hall of Fame Rodeo Man of the Year. McSpadden also served as president and board member for the Rodeo Cowboys Association. He was general manager of the National Finals Rodeo for 18 years while it was held in Oklahoma City. An Oklahoma state senator for 18 years, McSpadden served as president of that body twice and is a former member of the U.S. Congress.

<p>Born on November 9, 1925, on a ranch near Bushyhead in Rogers County, Oklahoma, Clem McSpadden became the sport of rodeo's unofficial number-one ambassador. McSpadden attended public school in Oologah and later the University of Redlands in California, North Texas Agricultural College, and the University of Texas before completing a degree at Oklahoma State University in 1948. Service in the U.S. Navy came during World War II.</p>

<p>McSpadden entered rodeo as a calf roping and bulldogging contestant but quickly shifted his interest to announcing and rodeo management. He called more of the sport's action than any other man behind a microphone. In the 1960s he became the first announcer from the United States to work the Calgary Stampede. At that venue he developed the technique of announcing on horseback. Other honors included selection to announce the Presidential Rodeo for Pres. Ronald Reagan in Washington, D.C. In 1986 the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association named him PRCA Announcer of the Year. For twenty years he was the general manager of the National Finals Rodeo while it was held in Oklahoma City.</p>

<p>A Democrat, McSpadden also served eighteen years in the Oklahoma Senate (1955–73), representing Districts 33 and 2, with two terms as president pro tempore. He was elected from Oklahoma's Second District to the U.S. House of Representatives in the Ninety-third Congress, serving from January 3, 1973, to January 3, 1975. He did not achieve reelection to that post and was unsuccessful in running for nomination as the Democratic candidate for governor of Oklahoma in 1974. Clem McSpadden served as contract director for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association from 1963 while developing real estate and running his ranch near Chelsea. He died of cancer on July 7, 2008, in Houston, Texas.</p>