Hoover, Clayton A., M. D.

The following data is extracted from Illustrated History of the State of Idaho.

It is a noteworthy fact that, wherever his lot may be cast, the up-to-date physician is a successful man also outside of his profession, and becomes a leader in the affairs of his town. This has been proven true many times, and the career of Dr. Clayton A. Hoover, of Montpelier, Idaho, is another conspicuous testimony to the same effect.

Dr. Hoover located at Montpelier in 1882 and is the pioneer regular practicing physician of southeast Idaho. He is a native of Washington, D. C, and was born February 25, 1853, a son of William and Elizabeth (Hough) Hoover. In the paternal line he is descended from a German ancestor, three of whose sons came to America in 1784 and located one in Virginia, one in Maryland and one in Pennsylvania. Peter Hoover, grandfather of the Doctor, early in life settled in the District of Columbia, and his son, William Hoover, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1800. Dr. Hoover's mother, Elizabeth, nee Hough, also of German ancestry, was born in Waterford, Virginia.

William and Elizabeth (Hough) Hoover located in Washington, D. C, after their marriage. The mother was a Quaker and they ranked with the prominent people of the city. Mr. Hoover died in 1882, and Mrs. Hoover in 1880. They had seven sons and four daughters, of whom only five are living at this lime. Of their eleven children, Clayton A. was the ninth in sequence of nativity. He was educated at the Columbian University and was graduated in its medical department in 1875. Since then he has taken several post-graduate courses, in New York city, and by study, reading and conference with prominent brother physicians has kept abreast of the times in a profession which during the years of his practice has perhaps advanced more rapidly and more radically than any other. He is a member of the American Medical Association and was one of the founders and is an ex-president of the Idaho State Medical Association. From 1883 to 1897 he was the local surgeon for the Union Pacific Railway Company. He is widely and favorably known personally, and his large and constantly growing practice extends seventy-five to one hundred miles into Montpelier's tributary territory. He established the pioneer drug store at Montpelier, ran it successfully for a time, then sold it, and it was finally closed. He began his present drug business in 1892, and has managed it in such a manner as to render it increasingly important and profitable.

He has contributed to the visible wealth of his town by erecting a slightly stone store building and a fine residence near by. Eight miles from Montpelier he has a large ranch, on which he carries on farming operations, successfully raising hay principally, but giving some attention also to other crops. He is public-spirited as a citizen and takes a helpful interest in all important affairs of the town. He is a past master of King Solomon Lodge, No. 27, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; was a charter member of Idanha, Montpelier, Lodge, Knights of Pythias, and is still an active worker for the order; and he is also a member of the Woodmen of the World. Politically he is a Republican and a bimetallist.

In 1875 Dr. Hoover married Miss Johanna E. Claxton, of Washington, D. C, who died in 1886, after having borne two sons, Edward C. and Alfred M. The elder son is making a reputation for himself as an accountant in the state of Washington; and the younger is now at school. July I7> 1895, Dr. Hoover married his present wife, who was Miss Bessie R. Brown, a native of Bear Lake county, Idaho, and educated in the normal department of the State University of Utah, where she was graduated, and they have two children named Stewart Whiting and Phyllis.

Source: Illustrated History of the State of Idaho

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