Clarence Boggie

Clarence Gilmore Boggie (1893 – July 1, 1949) was an American lumberjack who was known for his wrongful convictions and later pardons. Born in Wisconsin and raised in Washington, Boggie worked in the logging industry throughout his life.

In the early 1930s, he was convicted of two robberies in Oregon and Idaho, for which he was later pardoned after investigations revealed his innocence. In 1933, he was wrongfully convicted of the murder of Moritz Peterson, a crime he did not commit. After serving 13 years in prison, new evidence led to a conditional pardon from the governor of Washington in 1948. He died from a heart attack in July 1949.

Early life Clarence Boggie was born in Wisconsin in 1893. During his youth, he and his parents migrated to the state of Washington, where they settled near Brownsville. When Boggie turned seventeen, he began working in logging fields. He married twice, once from 1915 until his wife died in 1921, and again from 1931 to May 1933.

During the Great Depression, Boggie was unemployed and lived in Portland. He had previously been convicted twice for robbery prior to the murder, in Oregon and Idaho respectively, although he was pardoned both times after an investigation. Additionally, in October 1947, reporter Don Magnuson was sent by The Seattle Times to investigate the trial of Boggie. Magnuson travelled thousands of miles, gathering evidence while interviewing officials, attorneys, witnesses, and jurors. On September 23, Troy concluded the investigation, recommending that Governor Monrad Wallgren pardon Boggie. Despite that, Spokane officials chose not to pursue the suspected killer. Wallgren eventually granted Boggie a conditional pardon on December 23, 1948. He married Gertrude McKean, a childhood friend, on March 19, 1949. Clarence Boggie died on July 1, 1949, from a heart attack while working at a logging camp in Northern California. It was speculated that his heart was strained and weakened by his time in prison.