James Paul Clarke (August 18, 1854 – October 1, 1916) was 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 powe ...

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 O ...

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' ...

. 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 research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

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

Clarke served as a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives 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") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

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 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, with statues of Johnny Cash 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 Novembe ...

. 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 Jan ...

, 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 ...

References

External links

* * Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture entry
James Paul Clarke
*
Old State House Museum

James 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

Biography

Career

Death and legacy

See also

References

External links