John Bullock Clark Sr. (April 17, 1802 – October 29, 1885) was a politician who served as a member of the
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...
and
Confederate Congress
The Confederate States Congress was both the provisional and permanent legislative assembly of the Confederate States of America that existed from 1861 to 1865. Its actions were for the most part concerned with measures to establish a new na ...
.
Early life and education
John B. Clark Sr. was born in
Madison County, Kentucky
Madison County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Kentucky. At the 2020 census, its population was 92,701. Its county seat is Richmond. The county is named for Virginia statesman James Madison, who later became the fo ...
, a nephew of Congressmen
Christopher Henderson Clark and
James Clark. He attended the country schools, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1824. Establishing a law practice in
Fayette, Missouri
Fayette is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Missouri, United States. It is part of the Columbia, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 2,803 at the 2020 census.
History
Fayette was laid out in 1823. Th ...
, he served as clerk of the
Howard County courts from 1824 until 1834.
Career
Clark was commissioned
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...
of Missouri Mounted Volunteers during the
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", cross ...
in 1832 and was selected to command Missouri state forces during the
Missouri Mormon War. Governor
Lilburn Boggs
Lilburn Williams Boggs (December 14, 1796March 14, 1860) was the sixth Governor of Missouri from 1836 to 1840. He is now most widely remembered for his interactions with Joseph Smith and Porter Rockwell, and Missouri Executive Order 44, known ...
addressed his infamous 1838
Extermination Order 44 to Clark, directing that the
Mormons
Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into sever ...
be "exterminated, or driven from the state." He was promoted to
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
of the state
militia
A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...
in 1848.
Entering politics, Clark was a member of the
Missouri House of Representatives
The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...
in 1850 and 1851. He was appointed as a
Democrat to the
Thirty-fifth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of
James S. Green. He was re-elected to the
Thirty-sixth and
Thirty-seventh Congresses and served from December 7, 1857, until July 13, 1861, when he was expelled for having taken up arms against the
Union. He was replaced by
William Augustus Hall.
Clark served as a senator from Missouri in the
First Confederate Congress
The 1st Confederate States Congress, consisting of the Confederate States Senate and the Confederate States House of Representatives, met from February 18, 1862, to February 17, 1864, during the first two years of Jefferson Davis's presidency, a ...
and a Representative in the
Second Confederate Congress
The 2nd Confederate States Congress, consisting of the Confederate States Senate and the Confederate States House of Representatives, met from May 2, 1864, to March 18, 1865, during the last year of Jefferson Davis's presidency, at the Virginia ...
. He also served in the field as a
brigadier general
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...
in the
Missouri State Guard
The Missouri State Guard (MSG) was a military force established by the Missouri General Assembly on May 11, 1861. While not a formation of the Confederate States Army, the Missouri State Guard fought alongside Confederate troops and, at variou ...
. Eight days prior to his being expelled from the
U.S. Congress, Brigadier General Clark fought at the July 5, 1861
Battle of Carthage.
On November 10, 1865, Major General
Philip Sheridan
General of the Army Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close a ...
recommended the release of Senator Clark from confinement at
Fort Jackson due to poor health.
After the war, he practiced law until his death in
Fayette, Missouri
Fayette is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Missouri, United States. It is part of the Columbia, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 2,803 at the 2020 census.
History
Fayette was laid out in 1823. Th ...
. He was buried in Fayette Cemetery.
His son
John Bullock Clark Jr. served as a general in the
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
as well as a
postbellum U.S. Congressman.
See also
*
List of American Civil War generals (Acting Confederate)
Details concerning Confederate officers who were appointed to duty as generals late in the war by General E. Kirby Smith in the Confederate Trans-Mississippi Department, who have been thought of generals and exercised command as generals but who ...
*
Extermination order
*
Notes
References
*
*
*
Retrieved on 2009-04-20
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, John Bullock
1802 births
1885 deaths
19th-century American lawyers
19th-century American politicians
American people of the Black Hawk War
Confederate militia generals
Confederate States of America senators
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri
Deputies and delegates to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States
Expelled members of the United States House of Representatives
Members of the Confederate House of Representatives from Missouri
Democratic Party members of the Missouri House of Representatives
Missouri lawyers
Missouri State Guard
People from Fayette, Missouri
People from Madison County, Kentucky