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LARKE, FRANK WIGGLESWORTH, chemist, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, March 19, 1847. His parents were Henry Ware and Abby Mason (Fisher) Clarke. His father was a merchant. Among his ancestors who have been especially distinguished was Michael Wigglesworth, a Puritan poet and divine, who came to this country in 1638.

Frank Wigglesworth Clarke attended the public schools of Boston, and in 1867 was graduated from the Lawrence scientific school of Harvard university. He commenced the active work of life as an instructor at Cornell university in 1869. He afterward was professor in Howard university, and in the University of Cincinnati. Since 1883 he has been chief chemist for the United States Geological Survey. He has made important researches in chemistry and mineralogy and has published several books, more than one hundred papers and memoirs on scientific subjects, and numerous articles in magazines on the higher education. Among his books are "Weights, Measures and Money of All Nations," "Elements of Chemistry," and the series of "Constants of Nature" published by the Smithsonian Institution. He is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; of the Washington Academy of Sciences; a past-president of the American Chemical Society; and an honorary member of the Manchester (England), Literary and Philosophical Society, and the (London) Chemical Society; a corresponding member of the British Association and of the Edinburgh Geological Society. He is also a member of the Cosmos club, of Washington. He received the degree of D.Sc. from Columbian university in 1899, and from Victoria (England), in 1903; he was made Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur in 1900, and was Wilde lecturer and medalist of Manchester (England) Literary and Philosophical Society, 1903. He is chairman of the international committee on Atomic Weights, and was a member of the jury of awards at the Paris exposition, 1900.