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Curtis Young Clawson was born in Salt Lake City, 27 July 1884. He was the son of Spencer and Nabbie Young Clawson and a grandson of Brigham Young. His father, Spencer, was a prominent wholesale dry goods broker and a member of the Salt Lake City Council.
Mr. Clawson was a leading figure identified with the Utah National Guard. He served nearly 40 years and was respected by his peers. Governor Henry H. Blood honored him for his many years of service and devotion to duty. Curtis joined the National Guard at age 16 by enlisting as a private in the signal corp. He served as private and sergeant in the infantry and private in the field artillery. On 31 December 1910 he was promoted to second lieutenant in the 145th field artillery and later to the rank of first lieutenant, which rank he held while fighting at the Mexican border against Pancho Villa in 1916. On 28 May 1917 he was commissioned a captain of cavalry and was transferred back to the artillery regiment and was sent to France. In France he won the rank of major was placed in command of the First Battalion and regimental adjutant.
After the war he served for a period as captain in the ordnance division of the Utah guard, then was transferred again to the artillery and subsequently promoted to major and lieutenant colonel. He continued his service and on 9 August 1926 he was promoted to colonel and was given the command of the 145th field artillery regiment, which he held until his resignation, 1 January 1934 in order to devote his full time to the duties of assistant property and disbursement officer, a position he had held since 1927.
Colonel Clawson married Louisa Parkinson of Logan in the Logan LDS Temple. They had one son, William Curtis Clawson, and two daughters: Nabbie Clawson Sorensen and Jeanette Clawson Judd. Curtis Clawson died in 1941 at age 57 after a short illness.
The collection contains photographs of people, military experiences in Nogales, Mexico during the 1916 "Punitive Expedition" against Pancho Villa, actors from the Salt Lake Theatre, World War I, military, and miscellaneous family photographs.
Curtis Young Clawson Photograph Collection, ca. 1890-1920, Utah State Historical Society.
Gift of Mrs. Curtis Y. Clawson.
The Curtis Young Clawson Photograph Collection is the physical property of the Utah Historical Society, Salt Lake City, Utah. Literary rights, including copyright, may belong to the authors or their heirs and assigns. Please contact the Historical Society for information regarding specific use of this collection.