science

Clifford Clinton

Clifford Clinton is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Clifford Clinton rather than just read about it. In short: Clifford E. Clinton (August 3, 1900 – November 20, 1969) was a California restaurateur who founded Meals for Millions, one of two parent organizations of Freedom from Hunger, in 1946.

Key takeaways

Clifford Clinton belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Clifford Clinton to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Clifford Clinton from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Clifford E. Clinton (August 3, 1900 – November 20, 1969) was a California restaurateur who founded Meals for Millions, one of two parent organizations of Freedom from Hunger, in 1946. Clifford E. Clinton was also owner of a cafeteria-style restaurant chain named Clifton's.

Food charity In 1944, Clinton asked Henry Borsook, a Caltech biochemist, to develop a food supplement that would provide proper nutritional values while costing no more than five cents per meal. Clinton offered $5,000 of his own money to finance the research. In less than one year, Borsook and Mme. Soulange Berzceller, a skilled French cook, together developed Multi-Purpose Food (MPF), a high-protein food supplement that could be made for just three cents per 2-ounce meal. This led to the founding of Meals for Millions as a not-for-profit organization in 1946. During the next ten years, 6.5 million pounds (36 million meals) of MPF were distributed to relief agencies in 129 countries, including the United States. The original MPF consisted of composed of 68.0% of soy grits, 23.4% dehydrated vegetables, and 8.6% seasonings. Clinton funded the first few years of MFM's operation. Additionally, Clinton opened his so-called "Penny Restaurant" in 1931, at the height of the Great Depression to serve people who could not otherwise afford a meal. He combined his first name and family name into "Clifton's" restaurant, which still exists in Los Angeles. The restaurant not only featured low prices, but also a multi-story dining experience, complete with themed dining areas (e.g. rainforest, etc.), musicians to entertain diners, and additional free services to assist jobseekers.

Anti-corruption politics Clinton was involved with anti-corruption politics in Los Angeles in the 1930s and ran for mayor in 1945. According to historian Thomas Reppetto, Clinton may have been a target of LAPD harassment:

Despite Chief [Jim] Davis's efforts, the vice problem and the radicals remained troublesome. In addition to the Red squad, the police department maintained a separate intelligence unit under Captain Earl Kynette, an experienced vice cop who undertook special investigations for Mayor Shaw and Chief Davis, including keeping an eye on alleged radicals such as State Assemblyman Sam Yorty. An even greater challenge to the police were the antivice forces of the city led by Clifford Clinton, a restaurateur who was president of the Citizens Independent Vice Investigating Committee (CIVIC). Clinton, the son of missionary parents, allowed his restaurant customers to pay whatever they chose, and during the Depression many people ate free. Strangely, after he undertook his CIVIC responsibilities, Clinton's taxes rose, a number of patrons claimed food poisoning, and several suffered nasty falls on his premises. Clinton himself also became accident-prone as trick motorcyclists and stunt men ran into or fell under his car. In October 1937 Clinton's house was bombed. Many suspected that behind such events was the fine hand of the intelligence squad.

In popular culture

Music Alternative rock band The Toxhards's 2026 single "Mr. Clifford" tells the story of Clinton's political efforts from the perspective of a smear campaign by the corrupt politicians he opposed.

See also Ransom M. Callicott, partner with Clinton Meade McClanahan, Los Angeles manufacturer sued by Clinton for criminal libel

References

Further reading Edmond J. Clinton and Mark Vieira, Clifton's and Clifford Clinton: A Cafeteria and a Crusader (Los Angeles: Angel City Press, 2015). De Kruif, P. (1945, September). How We Can Help Feed Europe's Hungry. The Reader's Digest, 47(281), 50-52. Judkins, Simon J. (2016). "Citizen Surveillance: CIVIC and the Investigation of Vice in the City of Los Angeles, 1935–1938". California History. 93 (3): 75–91. doi:10.1525/ch.2016.93.3.75. ISSN 0162-2897. JSTOR 26412674.

External links Clifford Clinton biography - SoyInfo Center Clifton's Cafeteria Offers Food for Thought Chain restaurants: beans and bible verses (Dennett in San Francisco) Freedom from Hunger has a history of Meals for Millions Clifford Clinton at Find a Grave

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Clifford Clinton

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Clifford Clinton claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Clifford Clinton before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Clifford Clinton ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Clifford Clinton

In research: Clifford Clinton appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Clifford Clinton in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Clifford Clinton is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1900 births, 1969 deaths, 20th-century American businesspeople, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Clifford Clinton outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Clifford Clinton in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Clifford Clinton means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Clifford Clinton out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Clifford Clinton in simple terms?

Clifford E. Clinton (August 3, 1900 – November 20, 1969) was a California restaurateur who founded Meals for Millions, one of two parent organizations of Freedom from Hunger, in 1946.

Why does Clifford Clinton matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Clifford Clinton?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Clifford Clinton.