Clayton Riley Lusk was an American lawyer and politician from New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. He is now mostly remembered as Chairman of the "Lusk Committee", and was Acting Lieutenant Governor of New York

Lieutenant Governor of New York

The Lieutenant Governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the government of New York State. It is the second highest ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket with the governor for a four year term...

 in 1922.

Life

He graduated LL.B. from Cornell University Law School, and was admitted to the bar in 1902.

A Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 from Cortland County, Lusk was elected to the New York State Senate

New York State Senate

The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...

 in 1918. From 1919 to 1920, he chaired the Joint Legislative Committee to Investigate Seditious Activities, which consisted of four senators and five assemblymen and was known popularly as the "Lusk Committee."

Lusk was chosen Majority Leader of the New York State Senate

Majority Leader of the New York State Senate

The Majority Leader of the New York State Senate is elected by the majority of the members of the New York State Senate. The position usually coincides with the title of Temporary President of the State Senate, who presides over the session of the State Senate if the Lieutenant Governor of New York...

 in 1921 and 1922. On September 26, 1922, upon the resignation of Lt. Gov. Jeremiah Wood

Jeremiah Wood

Jeremiah Wood was an American lawyer and politician. He was Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1921 to 1922.-Life:He was admitted to the bar in 1900, and practiced in New York City....

, who was appointed a judge of the New York Court of Claims

New York Court of Claims

The New York State Court of Claims is the court which handles all claims against the State of New York and certain state agencies. It is not a small claims court. Judges of the Court of Claims are appointed by the Governor of New York and confirmed by the State Senate for a 9-year term...

, Lusk became President pro tempore of the State Senate and Acting Lieutenant Governor until the end of the year. At the end of his third term, he came under scrutiny for allegedly having accepted gifts from various companies to support or oppose legislation.

A stadium at the State University of New York at Cortland

State University of New York at Cortland

The State University of New York College at Cortland, also officially called SUNY Cortland or informally known as Cortland State, is a coeducational university located in Cortland, New York...

 is named in his honor.

Sources

• http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/lund-luster.html Political Graveyard
• "Clayton R. Lusk, legislator, dies: Former Republican leader of State Senate acted as Governor in 1922" in NYT on February 15, 1959, p. 85.
• Mencken's America by Henry Louis Mencken and S. T. Joshi (Ohio University Press, 2004, ISBN 082141531X , ISBN 9780821415313 ; page 221)