Edna Clark Ericksen papers

Collection

Identifier: MS 0617

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Edna Clark Ericksen papers (1908-1982) contains materials documenting the political, personal, and religious activities of this Utah legislator and church leader. The bulk of the collection pertains to the E. E. Ericksen and Ezra T. Clark families. Included are correspondence, personal material, documents regarding the LDS Church's Primary and children, news clippings, Democratic Party and Utah Legislature materials, and documents regarding her public service activities.

Dates

1908-1982

Creator

Ericksen, Edna Clark, 1889-1983 (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Conditions Governing Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Biographical Sketch

Edna Clark Ericksen was born in Auburn, Wyoming, on 19 November 1889 to Hyrum Don Carlos Clark and Ann Eliza Porter Clark. In 1905, at the age of sixteen, Edna left Star Valley and went to Paris, Idaho, in order to attend Fielding Academy, a LDS Church-sponsored combination elementary and high school. Although she did not complete her studies there, she enrolled at Brigham Young College in 1907. There she met her future husband, Ephraim E. Ericksen. They married on 8 June 1910. In 1920, Edna was called to the General Board of the LDS Primary organization, and was assigned the task of developing a program for boys between the ages of nine and eleven. Characteristically, Edna began by listening to the boys themselves, and then went on to develop what has been called the most successful program in the history of the Primary. It was at this time that Edna turned her imagination and flair for craftwork into a home industry that would contribute to the Ericksen family coffers for the next thirty years. She designed, made, and sold uniforms, badges, and insignias for the Primary and other local organizations. In 1932, Edna was elected to the Utah House of Representatives, where she served until 1935. Six years later, she was appointed to fill the State Senate seat vacated by Gordon Weggeland. She was elected in her own right the following year. After the death of E. E. Ericksen in 1967, Edna traveled to Europe, Mexico, and the Far East. In 1974, she was honored by the Utah Women's Political Caucus and the National Organization for Women for her contribution to women's causes. Edna Clark Ericksen died in Salt Lake City on 15 August 1983.

Extent

3.5 Linear Feet (7 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Edna Clark Ericksen papers (1908-1982) contain materials documenting the political, personal, and religious activities of this Utah legislator and church leader. The bulk of the collection pertains to the E. E. Ericksen and Ezra T. Clark families. Included are correspondence, personal material, documents regarding the LDS Church's Primary and children, news clippings, Democratic Party and Utah Legislature materials, and documents regarding her public service activities. Edna Clark Ericksen (1889-1983) served in the Utah House of Representatives in the 1930s and in the Utah Senate in the 1940s. The items that document her public activities are news clippings and articles or speeches relating to her major interests: women, education, and the family.