James Beauchamp Clark (March 7, 1850March 2, 1921) was an American
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, ...
and attorney who represented
Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
and served as
Speaker of the House
The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England.
Usage
The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hunger ...
from 1911 to 1919.
Born in
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
, he established a law practice in
Bowling Green, Missouri. He won election to the House in 1892, lost his seat in 1894, and won the seat back in 1896. He became the House Minority Leader in 1908 and was elevated to Speaker after Democrats took control of the House in the
1910 elections. He inadvertently helped defeat the
Canadian–American Reciprocity Treaty of 1911 by arguing that ratification of the treaty would lead to the incorporation of
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
into the United States.
Entering the
1912 Democratic National Convention, Clark had won the backing of a majority of the delegates, but lacked the necessary two-thirds majority to win the presidential nomination. After dozens of ballots,
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
emerged as the Democratic presidential nominee, and went on to win the
1912 presidential election. Clark helped Wilson pass much of his
progressive agenda but opposed U.S. entry into
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
. The
1920 House elections saw the defeat of numerous Democrats, including Clark. He died the following March, two days before he would have left office.
Early life and education
Clark was born in
Lawrenceburg, Kentucky
Lawrenceburg is a home rule-class city in Anderson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 10,505 at the 2010 census. It is the seat of its county. Lawrenceburg is part of the Frankfort, Kentucky, micropolitan statistical area.
H ...
, to John Hampton Clark and Aletha Beauchamp. Through his mother, he was the first cousin twice removed of the famous
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solicit ...
-turned-murderer
Jereboam O. Beauchamp. He is also directly descended from the famous
John Beauchamp (Plymouth Company)
John Beauchamp (1592–1655) was the most influential member of the Plymouth Company.
Life and career
John Beauchamp was the son of Thomas Beauchamp of Cosgrove and Dorothy (Clark) Beauchamp. His Norman French last name was pronounced as the ...
through his mother. He graduated from
Bethany College in 1873, and from
Cincinnati Law School in 1875.
Career
Clark served as president of Marshall College (now
Marshall University
Marshall University is a public research university in Huntington, West Virginia. It was founded in 1837 and is named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States.
The university is currently composed of nine colleges ...
) from 1873 to 1874. In 1875, he was admitted to the bar, and the following year he moved to
Bowling Green, Missouri, the county seat of
Pike County, where he practiced law. He was city attorney from 1878 to 1881, and prosecuting attorney of Pike County from 1885 to 1889.
Politics
Clark was a member of the
Missouri House of Representatives in 1889 and 1891.
Clark was elected to the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
in 1892. After a surprise loss in 1894 to
William M. Treloar, he regained the seat in 1896, and remained in the House until his death, the day before he was to leave office.
Clark ran for
House Minority Leader in 1903 but was defeated by
John Sharp Williams
John Sharp Williams (July 30, 1854September 27, 1932) was a prominent American politician in the Democratic Party from the 1890s through the 1920s, and served as the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives from 1903 to 1908 ...
of Mississippi. After Williams ran for the Senate in 1908, Clark ran again for the position and won. When the Democrats won control of the House in 1911, Clark became
Speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** In ...
.
Canadian reciprocity treaty
In 1911, Clark gave a speech that helped to decide the
election in Canada. On the floor of the House, Clark argued for the recent
Canadian–American Reciprocity Treaty of 1911 and declared: "I look forward to the time when the American flag will fly over every square foot of British North America up to the North Pole."
Clark went on to suggest in his speech that the treaty was the first step towards the end of Canada, a speech that was greeted with "prolonged applause" according to the ''Congressional Record''.
[Allan, ''Bomb Canada: And Other Unkind Remarks in the American Media'' page 18.] The ''Washington Post'' reported, "Evidently, then, the Democrats generally approved of Mr. Clark's annexation sentiments and voted for the
reciprocity bill because, among other things, it improves the prospect of annexation."
The ''Chicago Tribunal'' condemned Clark in an editorial, predicting that Clark's speech might have fatally damaged the treaty in Canada; "He lets his imagination run wild like a Missouri mule on a rampage. Remarks about the absorption of one country by another grate harshly on the ears of the smaller."
The
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada (french: Parti conservateur du Canada), colloquially known as the Tories, is a federal political party in Canada. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the two main right-leaning parties, the Progressive Co ...
, which opposed the treaty, won the Canadian election in large part because of Clark's speech.
In 1912, Clark was the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, coming into the convention with a majority of delegates pledged to him, but he failed to receive the necessary two-thirds of the vote on the first several ballots. After lengthy negotiation, clever management by supporters of
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...
Governor
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
, with widespread allegations of influence by special interests, delivered the nomination instead to Wilson.
Later career
Clark's speakership was notable for his skill from 1910 to 1914 in maintaining party unity to block
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...
's legislation and then pass Wilson's. Clark split the party in 1917 and 1918, when he opposed Wilson's decision to bring the United States into
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
.
In addition, Clark opposed the
Federal Reserve Act
The Federal Reserve Act was passed by the 63rd United States Congress and signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson on December 23, 1913. The law created the Federal Reserve System, the central banking system of the United States.
The Pani ...
, which concentrated financial power in the hands of eastern banks (mostly centered in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
). Clark's opposition to the Federal Reserve Act is said to be the reason that Missouri is the only state granted two
Federal Reserve Banks (one in St. Louis and one in Kansas City).
Clark was defeated in the
Republican landslide of 1920 and died shortly thereafter in his home in
Washington, DC
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morg ...
.
Champ Clark is the namesake of the small community of
Champ, Audrain County, Missouri. The former
Clark National Forest likewise was named after him.
Personal life
Clark married Genevieve Bennett Clark on December 14, 1881. Together, they had two children,
Joel Bennett Clark and
Genevieve Clark Thomson. Bennet served as a
United States senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and po ...
from
Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
from 1933 to 1945. Genevieve was a
suffragette
A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to member ...
and a candidate for the House of Representatives for Louisiana.
He was an adherent of the
Disciples of Christ
The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. The denomination started with the Restoration Movement during the Second Great Awakening, first existing during the 19th ...
.
Champ Clark Bridge
A bridge in Louisiana, Missouri that connects Missouri to neighboring Illinois was originally built in 1928. It bears the name Champ Clark. In late 2019, another bridge of the same name was constructed to replace the structurally deficient original bridge.
Gallery
File:James Beauchamp Clark.jpg, Speaker Clark's official portrait
Image:MannWithClark.jpg, Speaker Clark (left) with Representative James R. Mann of Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...
Image:Funeral of Champ Clark, 1921.jpg, Champ Clark's casket being loaded into a hearse outside the United States Capitol
The United States Capitol, often called The Capitol or the Capitol Building, is the seat of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, which is formally known as the United States Congress. It is located on Capitol Hill ...
, flag at half staff, March 5, 1921
Image:JBClark.jpg, Clark about a month before his death, wearing an antique-style beaver hat.
Image:1509 16th Street, N.W..JPG, Clark's former residence in Washington, D.C.
File:Bennet and Genevieve Clark.jpg, Bennet and Genevieve Clark
Image:Champ Clark and daughter Genevieve.jpg, Champ Clark and daughter Genevieve
Image:Champ Clark bust.jpg, Champ Clark, left, examining marble bust of himself, made by Moses Wainer-Dykaar, right.
See also
*
References
Further reading
* Garraty, John A. and Mark C. Carnes. ''American National Biography'', vol. 4, "Clark, Champ". New York : Oxford University Press, 1999.
Primary sources
* Clark, Champ. ''My quarter century of American politics'' (Harper, 1920)
online* Clark, Champ. "The Work of the Democratic House" '' The North American Review'' (Sept 1911) pp 337-343
online
External links
*
* )
James Beauchamp Clark's Signature on the 17th Amendment to the constitutionImage of original document
Champ Clark, late a representative from Missouri, Memorial addresses delivered in the House of Representatives and Senate frontispiece 1922
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Champ
1850 births
1921 deaths
American Disciples of Christ
Bethany College (West Virginia) alumni
Minority leaders of the United States House of Representatives
Missouri lawyers
People from Lawrenceburg, Kentucky
Speakers of the United States House of Representatives
Candidates in the 1912 United States presidential election
20th-century American politicians
University of Cincinnati College of Law alumni
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri
Presidents of Marshall University
People from Bowling Green, Missouri
19th-century American lawyers