Edward Walter Clark (May 17, 1857 – April 4, 1946) was a

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

businessman and banker who was also noted as a

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...

er, yachtsman, and a breeder of cocker spaniels. A third-generation member of the

Clark banking family Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educated ...

, Clark was a senior partner in the E. W. Clark & Co. investment house, a vice president of the First National Bank of Philadelphia, and a manager of

Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company The Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company was a mining and transportation company headquartered in Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania, now known as Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. The company operated from 1818 until its dissolution in 1964 and played an early and i ...

. In his leisure time, he was a prominent cricket player in Philadelphia-area clubs, served as commodore of the

Philadelphia Corinthian Yacht Club The Corinthian Yacht Club of Philadelphia is a yacht club near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its clubhouse and dock are located at 300 W. 2nd Street in Essington, Pennsylvania. History The club was established on January 12, 1892, by 13 members of ...

, and was a part-owner of the Irolita Kennels.

Biography

He was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, on May 17, 1857. He was the eldest of six siblings, including a brother,

Clarence Munroe Clark Clarence Munroe Clark (August 27, 1859 – June 29, 1937) was an American financier who helped develop electric light, power, and streetcar companies, as well as a noted tennis player. Biography Born in the Germantown section of Philadelphia ...

, born to Mary Todhunter Sill (1835-1908) and

Edward White Clark Edward White Clark (January 20, 1828 – April 9, 1904) was the head of E. W. Clark & Company, a prominent financial firm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Biography He was born on January 20, 1828, to Enoch White Clark, a member of the Clark ban ...

(1828-1904). His grandfather was

Enoch White Clark Enoch White Clark (November 16, 1802 – August 4, 1856) was the founder of E. W. Clark & Co., a prominent financial firm based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that helped the U.S. government finance the Mexican–American War. In 1857, Clark was ...

(1802-1856). Edward was called "Jr." to distinguish him from his father. Clark, who attended

Germantown Academy Germantown Academy, informally known as GA and originally known as the Union School, is the oldest nonsectarian day school in the United States. The school was founded on December 6, 1759, by a group of prominent Germantown citizens in the Gree ...

and the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

, He married Lydia Jane Newhall (1858-1936) on October 31, 1882, in Philadelphia. They had two sons, George Newhall Clark (1887-1906), who died while at Harvard of influenza; and Sydney Procter Clark; and two daughters, Frances Clark Stoddard, and Christine Clark Willetts. In 1904, he became a senior partner at E. W. Clark & Co. He became a trustee of the

Pomfret School Pomfret School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory boarding and day school in Pomfret, Connecticut, United States, serving 350 students in grades 9 through 12 and post-graduates. Located in the Pomfret Street Historic District, t ...

, and gave the school a dormitory, Dunworth, in 1905. In 1907, he donated the Clark Memorial Chapel to honor his deceased son. In 1925, he bought the yacht '' Resolute''. In 1930, with

Winthrop Aldrich Winthrop Williams Aldrich GBE (November 2, 1885February 25, 1974) was an American banker and financier, scion of a prominent and powerful political family, and US Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Early years Aldrich was born in Rhode Islan ...

and Vincent Astor, he financed the sloop ''

Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterprise ...

'' to compete in the

America's Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one f ...

. He died on April 4, 1946, at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in

Clubs

He was a member of the

Rittenhouse Club The Rittenhouse Club is a private institution in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1875 to allow "businessmen, intellectuals and artists to socialize in a congenial, friendly atmosphere." History The Gentlemen's club was founded in 1874 ...

, the

Racquet Club of Philadelphia The Racquet Club of Philadelphia (RCOP) is a private social club and athletic club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It has facilities for squash, real tennis, and racquets. The club is ranked in the Top 20 Athletic Clubs on the Platinum Club of A ...

, the

Germantown Cricket Club The Germantown Cricket Club is a cricket club in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was one of the four principal cricket clubs in the city and was one of the clubs contributing members to the Philadelphian cricket ...

, the Union League, the New York Yacht Club.

Cricket

Clark was a prominent cricketer, playing as a right-handed middle-order batsman and a right-arm medium bowler, bowling in the round-arm style. His career in front-rank American cricket lasted from 1877 to 1906, during which he played for many different sides. Between 1880 and 1897, he appeared in 27 matches that are considered as "first-class cricket", some of them all-American games and others against touring teams from England. His highest first-class score was an innings of 147 made in a rather strange match in 1894 in which his team batted for the whole of the two days allotted to the game, which was therefore left drawn. His brothers Herbert,

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

, and Percy also played first-class cricket, though Joseph was better known as a tennis champion.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Edward Walter 1857 births 1946 deaths E. W. Clark & Co. Clark banking family Germantown Academy alumni University of Pennsylvania alumni Members of the New York Yacht Club Businesspeople from Philadelphia