Former U.S. Sen. Dick Clark, an Iowa Democrat from Marion known for helping Vietnam War refugees, has died at 95

DES MOINES — Former U.S. Sen. Dick Clark, a Democrat from Marion who unexpectedly won a single term representing Iowa in the 1970s after campaigning by walking over 1,000 miles around the state — and who later played a key role in aiding refugees after the Vietnam War — has died. He was 95.

Clark died Wednesday at his home in Washington, said his daughter, Julie Clark Mendoza.

Clark was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972 after launching a long shot bid against two-term Republican Sen. Jack Miller. With little money for his campaign, Clark opted to walk across Iowa during numerous trips in 1972 and opened a statewide campaign office only a few block from his Marion home.

“The logical place for a headquarters was Des Moines, the largest city,” he wrote in his autobiography, “but we simply could not afford it.”

The walks, on which he often was joined by supporters, were credited for his convincing victory with 55 percent of the vote at the same time that Republican Richard Nixon was reelected as president.

During his time in the Senate, Clark devoted time to Africa, pushing for policies to help newly independent nations and to oppose apartheid. He lost in his run for re-election in 1978, and he believed his work opposing apartheid prompted funding against his campaign.

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After Clark left the Senate, President Jimmy Carter appointed him as ambassador-at-large for a refugee crisis related to the Vietnam War. Clark worked with Congress to help create a refugee policy and set up a structure to help refugees.

Later, Clark joined the Aspen Institute, an international nonprofit, and focused on helping members of Congress better understand specific foreign policy issues. He also worked to restore relations with Vietnam, including arranging meetings between U.S. and Vietnamese officials.

Clark was born Sept. 14, 1928, in the unincorporated community of Paris, Iowa, in northern Linn County. His parents made a living selling eggs door to door and later opened a grocery store. He was drafted into the Army and served in Europe from 1950 to 1952.

He attended Upper Iowa University and the University of Iowa, obtaining bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees.

Survivors include his wife, his daughter and two sons, three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.