James Paul Clarke (August 18, 1854 – October 1, 1916) was a
United States Senator
The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...
and the
18th Governor of
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
as well as a white supremacist.
Biography
Clarke was born in
Yazoo City, Mississippi
Yazoo City is a U.S. city in Yazoo County, Mississippi. It was named after the Yazoo River, which, in turn was named by the French explorer Robert La Salle in 1682 as "Rivière des Yazous" in reference to the Yazoo tribe living near the river's m ...
. His father died when Clarke was seven years old, and he was raised by his mother. Clarke attended public schools as well as Tutwilder's Academy in
Greenbrier, Alabama
Greenbrier is an unincorporated community in south eastern Limestone County, Alabama, United States. The population is 30 as of 2020. It is located 5.5 kilometers from the Madison County and Limestone County borders
History
Greenbrier was likely ...
. He graduated with a law degree at the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
in 1878. Clarke was
admitted to the bar
An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...
in 1879, and practiced law at
Helena, Arkansas
Helena is the eastern portion of Helena–West Helena, Arkansas, a city in Phillips County, Arkansas. It was founded in 1833 by Nicholas Rightor and is named after the daughter of Sylvanus Phillips, an early settler of Phillips County and the n ...
.
Career
![James Paul Clarke 1917](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/James_Paul_Clarke_1917.jpg)
Clarke served as a member of the
Arkansas House of Representatives
The Arkansas State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Arkansas. The House is composed of 100 members elected from an equal amount of constituencies across the ...
from 1886 to 1888. He became a member of the
Arkansas Senate
The Arkansas State Senate is the upper branch of the Arkansas General Assembly. The Senate consists of 35 members, each representing a district with about 83,000 people. Service in the state legislature is part-time, and many state senators have ...
from 1888 to 1892 and served as president of the Senate in 1891. He was elected Attorney General of Arkansas and served from 1892 to 1894. He served as Governor of Arkansas from 1895 to 1897. Clarke was devoted to "upholding white supremacy as the keystone of the Democratic Party. 'The people of the South,' he said in his closing speech of the election, 'looked to the Democratic party to preserve the white standards of civilization.' Clarke easily defeated his opponents."
His term was largely unsuccessful and his legislation to end prizefighting and establish four-year terms for state officers failed. After leaving office in 1897, he moved his permanent residence to
Little Rock, Arkansas
(The Little Rock, The "Little Rock")
, government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager
, leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_ ...
and practiced law. Clarke was elected to the
United States Senate
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 pow ...
in 1903 and served until his death in 1916. He served as
President pro tempore of the United States Senate
The president pro tempore of the United States Senate (often shortened to president pro tem) is the second-highest-ranking official of the United States Senate, after the Vice President of the United States, vice president. According to Articl ...
during the Sixty-third and Sixty-fourth Congresses.
Death and legacy
Clarke died in Little Rock, Arkansas. He is buried at
Oakland Cemetery in Little Rock.
Clarke's statue is one of two statues that was presented by the State of Arkansas to the
National Statuary Hall Collection
The National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol is composed of statues donated by individual states to honor persons notable in their history. Limited to two statues per state, the collection was originally set up in the old ...
at 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 ...
. In 2019 the decision was made to replace his statue, and that of
Uriah Milton Rose
Uriah Milton Rose (March 5, 1834 – August 12, 1913) was an American lawyer and Confederate sympathizer. "Approachable, affable, and kind," graceful and courteous, he was called "the most scholarly lawyer in America" and "one of the leading ...
, with statues of
Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...
and
Daisy Lee Gatson Bates
Daisy Bates (November 11, 1914 – November 4, 1999) was an American civil rights activist, publisher, journalist, and lecturer who played a leading role in the Little Rock Integration Crisis of 1957.
Early life
Daisy Bates was born on November ...
. In the case of Clarke, the reason given is "his racist beliefs".
Clarke's own great-great-grandson, State Senator
Clarke Tucker
Everett Clarke Tucker IV (born January 20, 1981) is an American attorney and Democratic politician from Central Arkansas. He served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019, and currently serves in the Arkansas Senate since Janu ...
, in a 2018 column strongly supported replacing Clarke's statue: "I strongly hope one of the new statues will be Daisy Bates or a member of the
Little Rock Nine
The Little Rock Nine were a group of nine African American students enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Their enrollment was followed by the Little Rock Crisis, in which the students were initially prevented from entering ...
."
See also
*
References
External links
*
* Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry
James Paul Clarke
*
Old State House MuseumJames P. Clarke, late a senator from Arkansas, Memorial addresses delivered in the House of Representatives and Senate frontispiece 1917
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, James Paul
Arkansas lawyers
Democratic Party governors of Arkansas
Democratic Party Arkansas state senators
Democratic Party members of the Arkansas House of Representatives
1854 births
1916 deaths
People from Yazoo City, Mississippi
University of Virginia School of Law alumni
Arkansas Attorneys General
Democratic Party United States senators from Arkansas
19th-century American politicians
Presidents pro tempore of the United States Senate
American white supremacists
19th-century American lawyers