Claude E. Southwick was born in Wells, Faribault County, Minnesota on 15 January 1873. After finishing high school in 1890, he continued his education at Hamline University in St. Paul and graduated in the fall of 1894. He received his law degree from the University of Minnesota in 1897. In 1899, he moved to Albert Lea, Minnesota and served several terms as the City Attorney between his arrival and 1909. Following his stint as the city’s attorney, Southwick campaigned for the state legislature. Southwick, a Republican, found success and served as a legislator between 1913 and 1917.

Aside from public service, Southwick owned property in Faribault County, served as an active member in the Methodist Church, the Masonic Order, the Knights of Pythias, and the Eastern Star.

Information about Southwick’s life and law career between 1923 and the 1950s is sketchy. In 1923, he had already left Albert Lea and began practicing law in Minneapolis. Southwick became active in oil and uranium interests in the Southwestern United States during the 1950s and served on the International Atomic Elements Corporation and as a secretary and counsel to the American Chief Engineers Association.

Southwick died in Minneapolis on 4 September 1958.