Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/236

 CLARK

CLARK

was the last survivor of the famous family of Clarks, lens makers, and died at CambridgeiJort, Mass., June 9, 1897.

CLARK, Ambrose W., representative, was born near Cooperstown, N.Y., Feb. 19, 1810. He was educated in the public schools and learneii the trade of a printer. He published The Otseyo Journal, 1831-36; The Northern Journal, Lewis county, 1838-44; and the Xortherti Xew York Jour- nal at Watertown, 1844-60. He was elected as a Republican to represent his district in the 3Tth and 38tii congresses, 1861-65. He was appointed United States consul at Valparaiso by President Lincoln, serving, 1865-69. and in 1869 was acting charge d'af aires. He died at Watertown, N.Y., Oct. 13, 1887.

CLARK, Champ, representative, was born near Lawrenceburg, Anderson county, Ky., March 7, 1850; son of John Hamilton and Abitha Jane (Beauchanip) Clark; and grandson of Adrial and Elizabeth (Archer) Clark. He was gradu- ated at Bethany college in 1873, and at the Cin- cinnati law school in 1875; worked on a farm, taught school, and clerked in a store. He was president of Marshall college, W. Va., 1873-74. In 1876 he removed to Bowling Green, Pike county. Mo., where he condvicted a newspaper and prac- tised law. He served as city attorney and prose- cuting attorney; as presidential elector on the Hancock and Englisli ticket in 1880; was a mem- ber of the Missouri legislature in 1889; a delegate to the trans-Mississippi congress at Denver in May, 1891, and vice-president for Missouri in the convention. He was a Democratic representa- tive in the 53d congress; was defeated for the 54th congress, and was again a representative in the 55th and 58th congresses, serving 1893-95, and 1897-1905.

CLARK, Charles B., representative, was born in Theresa, N.Y., Aug. 24, 1844. He removed to Neenah, Wis., in 1855. and engaged in business. He served in the Union army throughout the civil war, 1861-65; was a member of the state as- sembly, 1885; and a representative in the 50tli and 51st congresses, 1887-91. He died in Water- town, N.Y., Sept. 10, 1891.

CLARK, Charles Edgar, naval officer, was born in Bradford. Yt.. Aug. 10, 1843; son of James Dayton and Mary (Sexton) Clark; grand- son of Charles Clark born in Roxbury, Mass.; and great -grrandson of Thomas James Clark, an officer of the troops sent by Washington to occupy Dor- chester Heights. His mother was a daughter of Maj. Hiram Sexton of Brookfield, Vt, a soldier of the war of 1812, and granddaughter of Captain Williams of Wilmington, Vt., an officer of the Revolutionary armj-. His first American ances- tor, Robert Williams, from whom he was de- scended on both the paternal and maternal sides.

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settled in Roxbury, Mass., in 1636, and his de- scendants were conspicuous in the F'ench and Indian wars, especially at the battle of Lake George, where Col. Ephraim Williams, the found- er of Williams col- lege, and his brotlier, were killed Charles was appointed to the U.S. naval academy, Sept. 29,1860, through the influence of Sen- ator Morrill, and his first sea voyage wn.s on board the Constitu- tion when that his- toric frigate trans- ferred t!ie cadets from

Annapolis to Newport ^- i

in April. 1861. He ^^ SMt^k

was promoted acting ^

ensign, Oct. 1, 1863; master, May 10, 1866; lieu- tenant, Feb. 21, 1867; lieutenant-commander, March 12, 1868; commander, Nov. 15, 1881, and captain, June 21, 1896. He was appointed to the Ossipee, attached to Admiral Farragiit's fleet, and commanded the forward gun division. The Ossij^ec was the last vessel of the fleet to ram the Confederate iron-clad Tennessee, and Ensign Clark was the first officer to exchange words with Captain Johnson when he appeared above the casement to surrender the sliip. He was wrecked in the Suvmnee, July 7, 1868, near the northern end of Vancouver Island, and, though the fifth officer in rank, was left in command on Hope Island with thirty-three men when the re- mainder of the crew was taken off bj' H.M.S. Sparrorchairk. Before relief reached him his camp was surrounded by four hundred armed Indians. He served at sea on the Atlantic, Paci- ficand Asiatic stations, 1865-83, with the excep- '^ion of the years, 1870-73, when he was instructor at the naval academy. He commanded the Hanger, 1883-86, and was in charge of the survey of the we.st coast of Mexico and Central America. He also commanded the patrol fleet made up of the Mohican, Concord, Yorktown, Adams, Eanger, Alert and Petrel, with the revenue ve.ssels Alba- tross, Bear and Corwin, sent to the Bering sea. May 16, 1894, to enforce the terms of the Paris arbitration commission in reference to the .seal-fisheries act. On March 17, 1898, he took command of the battle-ship Oregon at San Fran- cisco, Cal., and on March 19, sailed for Cuban waters to co-operate with the Atlantic squad- ron against threatened war with Spain. The run of 14.000 miles was made at the highest practicable speed by the unprecedented exer- tion of officers and crew. The Oregon reached Rio de Janeiro, April 30, when Captain Clark was