Lloyd C. Stark

Lloyd Crow Stark (November 23, 1886 – September 17, 1972) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 39th governor of Missouri. He was a member of the Democratic Party.

Biography Stark was born in Louisiana, Missouri, the son of Clarence McDowell and Lillie Crow Stark. Stark was a 1908 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. After serving four years as a naval officer, Stark went into the family business, the Stark Brothers' Nursery, as vice-president and general manager. He was a major in the US Army during World War I. During his volunteer stint, Stark served in the United States and France, including the 1918 Meuse-Argonne Offensive.

Stark's political career began in 1928, when he chaired Missouri's State Highway Bond Campaign. He served one term as the governor of Missouri from 1937 to 1941 and was a delegate to Democratic National Convention from Missouri in 1940. During his gubernatorial term, Stark's administration established the Ellis Fischel Cancer Center, abolished interstate trade barriers, passed a police reorganization bill, and established a merit system for selection of state employees.

Stark sought and received Pendergast's support. Pendergast's minions were more corrupt and obvious than usual during the 1936 election. That prompted numerous investigations, and Stark turned overtly against Pendergast, who was eventually convicted of income tax evasion.

Stark served as Governor for six weeks beyond his normal term as a result of the controversial 1940 Missouri gubernatorial election, also called the "Great Governorship Steal", in which Pendergast-aligned Democrats attempted to overturn a narrow victory by Republican Forrest C. Donnell. Stark opposed these efforts and vetoed resolutions from the Missouri General Assembly that attempted to recount the election in a manner favorable to Democrats. The controversy was ultimately resolved by the Missouri Supreme Court in favor of Donnell, who was inaugurated six weeks late on February 26, 1941.

Family life Lloyd Stark was part of a family rather prominent in Missouri and was active with his brother Paul in the then family-owned business Stark Brothers' Nursery (the oldest nursery in America and at one time the largest in the world). The nursery had popularized the Golden Delicious apple.

Stark married Margaret Pearson Stickney of Baltimore in 1908. Together they had sons Lloyd Stickney and John Wingate Stark. Margaret died in 1930. Stark then married Katherine Lemoine Perkins in 1931. They had two daughters, Mary Murray Spottswood and Katherine Lemoine Stark.