Wisconsin businessman Leon Raymond Clausen was born in Fox Lake, Wisconsin on October 18, 1877. After graduation from the local public schools he attended the University of Wisconsin, graduating with a degree in electrical engineering in 1897. Between his graduation and 1901 he was employed in various positions in Wisconsin, Oregon, and Illinois. From 1901 to 1912 he was a foreman of the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railway's signaling department, later becoming inspector and manager, and, eventually, superintendent. During this phase of his career Clausen was vice president and president of the Railroad Signal Association of America. In 1912 Clausen resigned to take a position in the farm implement manufacturing industry with Deere & Co. in Moline, Illinois. Shortly thereafter he was transferred to a managerial position in Ottumwa, Iowa, at the company's subsidiary, the Dain Manufacturing Company (purchased by Deere in 1911), a manufacturer of equipment for hay farming. By the end of his employment with Dain/Deere in 1924, Clausen had been acting vice president, director, and vice president in charge of the company's manufacturing operations.
In 1924 the J.I. Case Company of Racine, Wisconsin hired Clausen as president. During his administration Clausen revitalized Case, dropping its automobile line and increasing its focus on the development of farm equipment. During his presidency, the company was often at odds with the company's employees who were represented by the United Automobile Workers. From 1934 to 1960 Case experienced five major strikes. The longest strike occurred from December 1945 to March 1947.
In 1948 Clausen resigned as president, but continued to serve as chairman of the Case board of directors. In 1958 Clausen officially retired at the age of 81. Agnes Snow Clausen, whom Clausen had married in 1909, died in 1963, and two years later, on August 14, 1965, Clausen himself died after suffering a severe stroke.
Clausen was well known for his conservative views on a variety of economic, political, and social subjects. Clausen believed in self-reliance and disliked government interference in the private sector. He perceived labor unions as governmental infringement in business and this belief was largely responsible for his decision to leave the railroad business in 1912. During the New Deal workers gained the right to organize, and Clausen's personal dislike of unions was partially responsible for the tumultuous labor history at Case that began in the 1930s.
In addition to his professional activities, Clausen was active in his community and in various national and regional organizations. As a noted philanthropist, he regularly gave speeches and financial donations to charities and organizations such as the Racine Young Republicans, St. Luke's Hospital, the Salvation Army, and the University of Wisconsin Alumni Association. In addition, he regularly donated to national organizations of which he was a member, particularly Republican and conservative political groups. Clausen also donated several of his properties to Wisconsin communities for park projects.
