John Flavel Clark (December 10, 1784 – October 7, 1853) was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

clergyman who served as

Chaplain of the United States Senate The chaplain of the United States Senate opens each session of the United States Senate with a prayer, and provides and coordinates religious programs and pastoral care support for senators, their staffs, and their families. The chaplain is appoi ...

Early years

John Flavel Clark was born on December 10, 1784, in

Allentown, New Jersey Allentown is a borough, located in western Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, bordering nearby Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 1,828,New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

's general staff during the Revolutionary War. John F. Clark graduated valedictorian from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

in 1807. After graduation he was engaged in teaching in Georgia. He began studying for the ministry at

Andover Theological Seminary Andover Theological Seminary (1807–1965) was a Congregationalist seminary founded in 1807 and originally located in Andover, Massachusetts on the campus of Phillips Academy. From 1908 to 1931, it was located at Harvard University in Cambridge. ...

in 1810. There he became acquainted with

Adoniram Judson Adoniram Judson (August 9, 1788 – April 12, 1850) was an American Congregationalist and later Particular Baptist missionary, who served in Burma for almost forty years. At the age of 25, Judson was sent from North America to preach in B ...

, Samuel Newell and

Samuel John Mills Samuel John Mills Jr. (April 12, 1783 – June 16, 1818) was an American preacher and missionary from Connecticut. He is known for contributing to the organization of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions and to the formation of t ...

, thus beginning a lifelong commitment to the cause of foreign missions. He was one of the founders of the

American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) was among the first American Christian missionary organizations. It was created in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College. In the 19th century it was the largest and most imp ...

. He was chosen to be a tutor at Princeton, where he continued his divinity studies under its president

Ashbel Green Ashbel Green (July 6, 1762 – May 19, 1848) was an American Presbyterian minister and academic. Biography Born in Hanover Township, New Jersey, Green served as a sergeant of the New Jersey militia during the American Revolutionary War, and went ...

. He was called to be stated supply at First Presbyterian Church

Flemington, New Jersey Flemington is a borough in and the county seat of Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Chaplain of the Senate The chaplain of the United States Senate opens each session of the United States Senate with a prayer, and provides and coordinates religious programs and pastoral care support for senators, their staffs, and their families. The chaplain is appoi ...

on November 18, 1818; this was the

15th United States Congress The 15th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in the Old Brick Capitol in Washington, ...

, meeting in the

Old Brick Capitol The Old Brick Capitol in Washington, D.C., served as the temporary Capitol of the United States from 1815 to 1819. The building was a private school, a boarding house, and, during the American Civil War, a prison known as the Old Capitol Pris ...

in Washington. Thereafter, Clark served as pastor of these Presbyterian churches in succession:

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Cold Spring, New York Cold Spring is a village in the town of Philipstown in Putnam County, New York, United States. The population was 1,986 at the 2020 census. It borders the smaller village of Nelsonville and the hamlets of Garrison and North Highlands. The cen ...

(1841–1845),

Oyster Bay, New York The Town of Oyster Bay is the easternmost of the three towns which make up Nassau County, New York, United States. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is the only town in Nassau County to extend from the North Shore to the South Shore o ...

(1845–1846), and

Fishkill, New York Fishkill is a village (New York), village within the Fishkill (town), New York, town of Fishkill in Dutchess County, New York, Dutchess County, New York (state), New York, United States. The village is in the eastern part of the town of Fishkill o ...

(1847 until his death). Clark died on October 7, 1853 in his sixty-ninth year.

Personal life

Clark married Mary Sherrerd, daughter of Samuel and Ann (Maxwell) Sherrerd of Pleasant Valley. Their children were: Anna Sherrerd Clark, Margaret Imlay Clark Elizabeth May Clark, Joseph C. Clark, Samuel Sherrerd Clark, and Sarah Browne Clark. Mary Sherrerd Clark died 8 August 1837, Clark married a second time, his second wife's name was Petrina.Cliffords: New Jersey to Pennsylvania and Beyond, by Hugh F. Clifford

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, John Chaplains of the United States Senate American Presbyterian ministers 1784 births 1853 deaths People from Allentown, New Jersey