Temple Clark (October 23, 1826April 4, 1893) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

attorney, Democratic politician,

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

officer, and

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

pioneer. He served two years in the Wisconsin Senate (

1857 Events January–March * January 1 – The biggest Estonian newspaper, ''Postimees'', is established by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. * January 7 – The partly French-owned London General Omnibus Company begins operating. * Janua ...

1858 Events January–March * January – **Benito Juárez (1806–1872) becomes Liberal President of Mexico. At the same time, conservatives install Félix María Zuloaga (1813–1898) as president. **William I of Prussia becomes regent f ...

), representing Manitowoc and Calumet counties, and served as an

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

on the staff of General William Rosecrans during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Early life

Temple Clark was the youngest son of U.S. Army major Satterlee Clark of Vermont, an 1807 graduate of the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

and a veteran of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. Major Clark married Frances Whitcroft, the daughter of a Maryland politician, Burton Whitcroft. Following the War, the elder Clark was assigned to work as a paymaster for the Army in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, and was reassigned to

Utica, New York Utica () is a Administrative divisions of New York, city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The List of cities in New York, tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 ...

, in 1821. Temple Clark was born while the family was living in the vicinity of Utica, in 1826. Major Clark and his eldest son, Satterlee Clark Jr., traveled to Green Bay in 1828 to take up the duties of

sutler A sutler or victualer is a civilian merchant who sells provisions to an army in the field, in camp, or in quarters. Sutlers sold wares from the back of a wagon or a temporary tent, traveling with an army or to remote military outposts. Sutler wago ...

for Fort Howard. In 1838, at age 12, Temple Clark and the remainder of his family came west to join his father and brother in the Wisconsin Territory. Around 1840, Clark moved to live with his older brother, Satterlee Clark, Jr., at Fort Winnebago, where he had been working as sutler clerk. Both Clarks left the fort in 1843.

Mexican–American War

At the outbreak of the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

in 1846, Temple was residing at St. Louis, where he enlisted with the 2nd Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment under Colonel

William Henry Bissell William Henry Bissell (April 25, 1811March 18, 1860) was the 11th Governor of the U.S. state of Illinois from 1857 until his death. He was one of the first successful Republican Party candidates in the U.S., winning the election of 1856 just two ...

. He marched with the army of General

John E. Wool John Ellis Wool (February 20, 1784 – November 10, 1869) was an officer in the United States Army during three consecutive U.S. wars: the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. By the time of the Mexican-American War ...

through Texas and Mexico, participating in the Battle of Buena Vista, and returned to Wisconsin in 1847.

Political career

Shortly after returning from the war, Clark was admitted to the bar and began a legal practice at Berlin, Wisconsin. He later resided for a time at Ceresco, Wisconsin, which was

Fourierist Fourierism () is the systematic set of economic, political, and social beliefs first espoused by French intellectual Charles Fourier (1772–1837). Based upon a belief in the inevitability of communal associations of people who worked and lived to ...

commune in western Fond du Lac County. In 1853, however, he was appointed harbor agent at

Manitowoc, Wisconsin Manitowoc () is a city in and the county seat of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2020 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,626, with over ...

, and relocated there. A few months after his arrival at Manitowoc, the federal government approved an appropriation for improving the harbor, and Clark gained significant patronage through awarding the contracts to complete the work. By 1856, he had also become an investor and officer in the Manitowoc and Calumet Village Plank Road Company. Clark was also active in the Democratic Party and, in 1856, was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate from the 19th district, which the previous year had been redistricted to contain

Calumet Calumet may refer to: Places United States *Calumet Region, in northern Illinois and Indiana **Calumet River **Calumet Trail, Indiana ** Calumet (East Chicago) * Calumet, Colorado *Calumet, Iowa * Calumet, Michigan *Calumet, Minnesota * Calumet ...

and Manitowoc counties. Prior to 1857, Manitowoc and Calumet had shared a Senate district with more populous

Sheboygan County Sheboygan County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is named after the Sheboygan River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 118,034. Its county seat is Sheboygan. The county was created in 1836 and organized in 1846. At th ...

, and had always been represented in the Senate by a Sheboyganite. Clark, as a Democrat, was in the minority during the

10th 10 (ten) is the even natural number following 9 and preceding 11. Ten is the base of the decimal numeral system, by far the most common system of denoting numbers in both spoken and written language. It is the first double-digit number. The rea ...

and

11th 11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables. Name "Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first attested i ...

legislatures and had an unremarkable term. Possibly the most noteworthy anecdote of his Senate term was that he was involved in a physical altercation with Madison ''Patriot'' publisher

Stephen Decatur Carpenter Stephen Decatur Carpenter (May 21, 1818 – December 31, 1862) was a United States military officer from Maine. He served from 1840 to his death on the last day of 1862, through four major conflicts and one minor conflict. West Point He was ...

on the grounds of the

State Capitol This is a list of state and territorial capitols in the United States, the building or complex of buildings from which the government of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia and the organized territories of the United States, exercise its ...

. In 1858, Clark ran for

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

in Manitowoc County's 1st Assembly district, but was defeated by Republican

William Aldrich William Aldrich (January 19, 1820 – December 3, 1885) was an American Republican politician who served as Congressman from the state of Illinois. Biography He was born in Greenfield Center in the Town of Greenfield in New York. He attend ...

Civil War service

Also in 1858, the Wisconsin Militia was reorganized by new Adjutant General

Amasa Cobb Amasa Cobb (September 27, 1823July 5, 1905) was an Americans, American politician and judge. He was the 6th and 9th Chief Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court and the 5th Mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska. Earlier in his life, he was a United States ...

, creating several new geographic divisions. Cobb and Governor Alexander Randall appointed Clark to serve as Major General for the 8th Division of the Wisconsin Militia, which comprised Manitowoc, Calumet,

Brown Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model used ...

, and

Kewaunee Kewaunee is a city in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,837 at the 2020 census. Located on the northwestern shore of Lake Michigan, the city is the county seat of Kewaunee County. Its Menominee name is ''Kewāneh'', ...

counties. He served in this capacity until the outbreak of the

. As news arrived of the attack on Fort Sumter, Clark was one of several Democrats moved by patriotic fervor to join the Union cause. Clark immediately began recruiting a company of volunteers from Manitowoc County, known as the Manitowoc Guard, and by May 1, 1861, the company had been accepted by Governor Randall for enrollment into Wisconsin's volunteer force. The company was organized into the

5th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 5th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 5th Infantry was assembled at Camp Randall, in Madison, Wisconsin, on July 12, 1861. It left Wisconsin for Wash ...

and rendezvoused with the other companies at

Camp Randall Camp Randall was a United States Army base in Madison, Wisconsin, the largest staging point for Wisconsin troops entering the American Civil War. At this camp fresh volunteers received quick training before heading off to join the Union Army. Also ...

, in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

. The regiment mustered into service July 13, 1861, under Colonel

. Clark's company was made Company A of the regiment, and Clark was designated senior

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the regiment. The regiment proceeded to

, for service in the eastern theater of the war. In Washington, the regiment was assigned to construct fortifications and maintain a picket until March 1862, when they commenced a march with General George B. McClellan's Peninsula campaign. Captain Clark, however, left the regiment in early April 1862, as he was appointed

on the staff of his brother-in-law Brigadier General

Joseph B. Plummer Joseph Bennett Plummer (November 15, 1816Some controversy exists regarding Plummer's year of birth. See the notes and gravestone photos in the External links section. Warner, 1964, p. 374 gives this date but says that he seems to have taken a few ...

in the Army of the Mississippi. He arrived in time to participate at the Siege of Corinth. General Plummer had earlier been wounded in battle, and died of his wounds and prolonged exposure in August. On Plummer's death, General William Rosecrans, commanding the Army of the Mississippi, took Captain Clark onto his staff. He participated with Rosecrans at the Battle of Iuka and the Second Battle of Corinth, where he was wounded three times. He was mentioned in General Rosecrans correspondence after the battle for meritorious conduct. His most serious wound was a gunshot through the lung, which was thought to be a mortal wound. He lie in the hospital near death for several weeks, but ultimately recovered, though he suffered lingering effects from the wound. Clark returned to service in January 1863, and was assigned as an adjutant to General

Richard W. Johnson Richard Woodhouse Johnson (February 27, 1827April 21, 1897) was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Life Personal life Richard Woodhouse Johnson was born on February 27, 1827 in Smithland, to James Johnson (1785–1837) ...

in the Army of the Cumberland, but had to resign due to disability in July 1863.

Postbellum career

After the war, Clark resided for a time at

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and was active in the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or simply the Loyal Legion is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Army. The original membership was composed of members ...

. In the 1870s, he was appointed to the

United States Secret Service The United States Secret Service (USSS or Secret Service) is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security charged with conducting criminal investigations and protecting U.S. political leaders, their families, and ...

as a detective. In that capacity, in 1872, he was fined for drunk and disorderly conduct while on government business in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. Though Clark had always been a Democrat, he was a supporter of

James A. Garfield James Abram Garfield (November 19, 1831 – September 19, 1881) was the 20th president of the United States, serving from March 4, 1881 until his death six months latertwo months after he was shot by an assassin. A lawyer and Civil War gene ...

in the

1880 United States presidential election The 1880 United States presidential election was the 24th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 2, 1880, in which Republican nominee James A. Garfield defeated Winfield Scott Hancock of the Democratic Party. The voter tur ...

, due to their time together on the staff of General Rosecrans. After Garfield was elected president, he appointed Clark to a clerkship position in the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, ...

, where he remained until his death in 1893. Clark was buried with military honors at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Personal life and family

Although his father, Major Satterlee Clark, was well-regarded early in his military career, he suffered from

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...

. Major Clark was dismissed from service in 1824, and was considered a debtor to the government due to poor bookkeeping as paymaster in Utica. Shortly after his firing, he wrote in the press under the pseudonym "Hancock" making allegations of corruption against the man who had fired him, Secretary of War

John C. Calhoun John Caldwell Calhoun (; March 18, 1782March 31, 1850) was an American statesman and political theorist from South Carolina who held many important positions including being the seventh vice president of the United States from 1825 to 1832. He ...

. The allegations resulted in a congressional investigation of Calhoun during his time as

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

. Major Clark ultimately received a favorable judgement from the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York (in case citations, E.D.N.Y.) is the federal district court whose territorial jurisdiction spans five counties in New York State: the four Long Island counties of Nassau, S ...

, restoring some of the pay which had been withheld from him. Temple Clark was the youngest of five children born to Major Clark and Frances Whitcroft. His eldest brother, Satterlee Clark, Jr., was a prominent leader of the Democratic Party in Wisconsin and stridently opposed to the Civil War, he served ten years in the Wisconsin State Senate through the 1860s. His sister, Frances, married

, who was Clark's superior officer in the Army of the Mississippi. Temple Clark's grandfather was Isaac Clark, an American militia officer in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

who rose to the rank of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

Notes

References

External links

Arlington National Cemetery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Temple 1826 births 1893 deaths Democratic Party Wisconsin state senators Wisconsin lawyers 19th-century American politicians People from Oneida County, New York People from Manitowoc County, Wisconsin Union Army officers American volunteer soldiers of the Mexican–American War United States Department of Agriculture people United States Secret Service agents Military personnel from Wisconsin Burials at Arlington National Cemetery American militia generals Wisconsin pioneers