Career
Previous to his term as State Senator, he served as a Representative in the Arizona Legislature, including a stint as Speaker of the House. He was an uncle to United States. Senator, the former United States. 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. Previous to entering state politics, he served as president of the Snowflake Arizona Stake.
State Senator Flake died on the morning of June 8, 2008. He had been at home recovering from a horseback riding accident.
He was succeeded in the Arizona Senate by Sylvia Allen.