Stephen Clark (February 22, 1792 - April 20, 1871) was an American politician who served as the 23rd Treasurer of New York State.

Biography

He was a contractor and participated in the re-construction of the

Long Bridge Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music mens ...

over the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augu ...

which opened in 1835; and the construction of the High Bridge in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

which opened in 1848. He was a

canal commissioner The Commission to Explore a Route for a Canal to Lake Erie and Report, known as the Erie Canal Commission, was a body created by the New York State Legislature in 1810 to plan the Erie Canal. In 1817 a ''Canal Fund'' led by ''Commissioners of the C ...

from 1842 to 1844, and from 1845 to 1847. He was first elected by the

New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an officia ...

on February 8, 1842, when the Democratic majority removed the Whig commissioners. Clark and James Hooker, the two "non-acting" commissioners (the ones which did not receive an annual salary; the "acting" commissioners received $2,000 a year), were legislated out of office on May 6, 1844. Clark was re-elected to a four-year term in November 1844 to take office on February 3, 1845. He was legislated out of office again by the

New York State Constitution The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constituti ...

of 1846, and left the Canal Commission at the end of 1847. He was elected New York State Treasurer on the American Party ticket in November 1855, defeating both the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

and Democratic candidates, and took office on January 1, 1856. At the time, the governor served a two-year term elected in even years, and the cabinet officers a two-year term elected in odd years, so that Governor Myron H. Clark, elected as a Whig but now a Republican, had to cope with a hostile majority in the Erie Canal Board at a time when the political situation was very unstable and party feelings rose high. In June 1856, a majority of the Canal Board, including Treasurer Clark, exchanged the workplace of two resident engineers attached to the canal. The members of the Canal Board, including the treasurer, were accused by Lt. Gov. Henry J. Raymond and State Engineer Silas Seymour of having committed an illegal act, having meddled in the exclusive competences of the State Engineer. On June 23, 1856, Treasurer Clark was suspended by Governor Clark, since the State Constitution provided for the possible suspension of the treasurer but not the other state officers. Soon after, the treasurer answered the accusation in a letter to the Governor, arguing that the Canal Board had powers to supersede the state engineer, and that the treasurer could not be suspended for acts committed as an ex officio member of any executive board, but only for his acts as Treasurer regarding the public funds, and the suspension was revoked.

Personal life

He lived at

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York C ...

. On February 4, 1818, he married Pamelia Fay (1801–1842), and they had five children. Clark died on April 20, 1871, and was buried at

Albany Rural Cemetery The Albany Rural Cemetery was established October 7, 1844, in Colonie, New York, United States, just outside the city of Albany, New York. It is renowned as one of the most beautiful, pastoral cemeteries in the U.S., at over . Many historical A ...

Menands, New York Menands is a village in Albany County, New York, United States. The population was 3,990 at the 2010 census. The village is named after Louis Menand. The village lies inside the town of Colonie and borders the northern city line of Albany. H ...

.
Public officials buried at Albany Rural Cemetery

References

Sources

Political Graveyard

The American Party ticket, in The New York Times on October 18, 1855

Charges before the Governor, in The New York Times on June 23, 1856

Suspension by the Governor, in The New York Times on June 24, 1856

The controversy over the Treasurer's suspension, and Clark's answer to the Governor, in The New York Times on July 11, 1856

''The New York Civil List'' compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 35f and 42; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)
''Fay Genealogy''
(1898; page 90) {{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Stephen 1792 births 1871 deaths New York State Treasurers Politicians from Albany, New York People from Malta, New York Burials at Albany Rural Cemetery Erie Canal Commissioners New York (state) Know Nothings 19th-century American politicians