Clyde Lee Choate (June 28, 1920 – October 5, 2001) was an American politician from Southern Illinois and a decorated soldier.

As a sergeant in the United States Army during World War II, Choate received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for single-handedly destroying a German tank.

[2] He enlisted in the Army as a private during World War II[3] and served 31 months overseas in the European Theatre.

On that day, near Bruyères in eastern France, his tank destroyer was hit and set on fire in an attack by German forces.

He ordered his crew to abandon the destroyer and reached a position of relative safety, but then returned through hostile fire to the burning vehicle to make sure no one was trapped inside.

[3] In a ceremony at the White House on August 23, 1945, President Harry S. Truman presented Choate with the Medal of Honor for his actions near Bruyères.

[2][4] At his Medal of Honor presentation ceremony, Choate shared his concerns about the coal industry in southern Illinois.

[4] As a member of the Illinois House, Choate was a close ally of Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley.

But Governor Dan Walker strongly disliked Choate, who had helped quash his son-in-law's Democratic primary bid, and supported Gerald A. Bradley of Bloomington.

For the first few days, no one in the field, which at various points included up to 11 Democrats and the Republican leader James R. Washburn, could get close to the 89 votes required to be elected Speaker.

After 38 ballots, Daley and Walker finally chose longtime backbencher William A. Redmond as a compromise candidate.

William L. Harris, Vice Chairman of the Illinois State Board of Elections, was appointed by local Democratic leaders to succeed him.

He returned to the burning destroyer to search for comrades possibly trapped in the vehicle risking instant death in an explosion which was imminent and braving enemy fire which ripped his jacket and tore the helmet from his head.

Choate's great daring in assaulting an enemy tank single-handed, his determination to follow the vehicle after it had passed his position, and his skill and crushing thoroughness in the attack prevented the enemy from capturing a battalion command post and turned a probable defeat into a tactical success.