Boswell, H. James, "American Blue Book Western Washington," Seattle, Lowman and Hanford Co., 1922. p. 33. JUDGE M. L. CLIFFORD, of the Pierce County Superior Court, is a jurist who stands high in the estimation of the bar of the northwest. Judge Clifford was born in Indiana in 1853. His academic training was had in public schools, while his legal training was acquired in the Central Law School, from which he graduated in 1881 with the degree of LL. B. He is also a graduate of Butler University, with the A. B. degree, class of 1879. He was admitted to the bar in Washington in 1887, and in 1893 was elected a member of the school board, an office which he held until 1907, when he resigned to go on the bench. There is no better nor more popularly known judge in the county than Judge Clifford. While Judge Clifford believes in the strict enforcement of the law as it appears on the statute books of the state, at the same time he has frequently tempered justice with mercy, and there is more than one person making good today who are doing so as a result of the "one chance" given them by this able jurist. Judge Clifford married Miss Iona N. Woollen, in 1880, and the couple have two children, both boys. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, Elks' club, University club, Beta Theta Phi, and the city and state bar associations. Submitted by: Judy Bivens * * * * Notice: These biographies were transcribed for the Washington Biographies Project. Unless otherwise stated, no further information is available on the individual featured in the biographies.