Jake Flake

Who was Jake Flake?

Franklin Lars "Jake" Flake was an American politician who served as a Senator in the Arizona State Legislature from 2005 until his death. Previous to his term as State Senator, he served as a Representative in the Arizona Legislature, including a stint as Speaker of the House. Jake Flake was a cattle rancher by profession, and he and three of his brothers raised the Beefmaster breed. He was an uncle to U.S. Senator and former U.S. Representative Jeff Flake.

Flake was born in Snowflake, Arizona to Virgil Maeser Flake and Gerda Flake, née Hendrickson. He was born Franklin Lars Flake, but his father soon gave him the nickname "Jake", and that is what he was called most of his life. After graduating from Arizona State University in 1960, he returned to Snowflake and lived there until his election to the Arizona House of Representatives in 1996, after which he divided his time between Snowflake and Phoenix. He married Mary Louise Skouson in 1959; they had 13 children and 53 grandchildren. They are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Before his marriage, Flake served a mission for his church among the Navajo in the state of Arizona.