Nathan Clark (July 21, 1718 – April 8, 1792) was a
Vermont colonial and
Revolutionary War leader who served as
Speaker of the
Vermont House of Representatives
The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...
.
Life and career
Clark was born in
Preston, Connecticut on July 21, 1718.
Clark was one of Vermont's founders, settling in
Bennington
Bennington is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester. As of the 2020 US Census, the population was 15,333. Bennington is the most populous to ...
in 1762.
During the dispute between Vermonters who held land
New Hampshire titles from
Benning Wentworth, the colonial
Governor, and the government of
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
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, which tried to make them acquire confirming titles from New York, Clark was a prominent anti-New Yorker, chairing meetings of citizens called to discuss and plan strategy, and preparing written communications to New York's leaders.
In 1777 Clark served as a member of the committee that prepared the
Declaration of Independence that created the
Republic of Vermont, an entity which remained in existence until Vermont's acceptance into the Union as the 14th state in 1791.
Clark was active in the American Revolution, serving as chairman of Bennington's
Committee of Satefy. In addition he served as a Commissary, helping supply the garrison at
Fort Ticonderoga, and gathering and organizing the delivery of supplies to the army of
Horatio Gates during the
Saratoga Campaign
The Saratoga campaign in 1777 was an attempt by the British high command for North America to gain military control of the strategically important Hudson River valley during the American Revolutionary War. It ended in the surrender of the British ...
. Several of Clark's sons saw military service, and one, Nathan Clark, Jr., was wounded at the
Battle of Bennington and later died as a result. Another of Clark's sons, Isaac, served in the Revolution and the
War of 1812. Isaac Clark married Hannah, one of the daughters of
Governor Thomas Chittenden.
In 1778 Clark was elected to the first session of the Vermont House of Representatives. He was selected to serve as Speaker of the House after
Joseph Bowker
Joseph Bowker (December 28, 1725 – July 2, 1784) was an early political and governmental leader of Vermont and was the first Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives.
Biography
Joseph Bowker was born in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, on Dec ...
resigned in order to accept a seat on the
Governor's Council.
Clark died in Bennington on April 8, 1792. He was buried in Bennington's Old Cemetery.
Gravestone photo by contributor "the moo"
Find A Grave web site, accessed March 7, 2012
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Nathan
1718 births
1792 deaths
People from Preston, Connecticut
People of colonial Connecticut
People from Bennington, Vermont
People of Vermont in the American Revolution
Members of the Vermont House of Representatives
Speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives
People of pre-statehood Vermont
Burials in Vermont
18th-century American politicians