Walter Eli Clark (January 7, 1869 – February 4, 1950) was an American journalist and newspaper publisher. In addition to his journalistic activities, he was the last

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the

District of Alaska The District of Alaska was the federal government’s designation for Alaska from May 17, 1884 to August 24, 1912, when it became Alaska Territory. Previously (1867–1884) it had been known as the Department of Alaska, a military designation. ...

from 1909 to 1912, and the first Governor of

Alaska Territory The Territory of Alaska or Alaska Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from August 24, 1912, until Alaska was granted statehood on January 3, 1959. The territory was previously Russian America, 1784–1867; the ...

from 1912 to 1913.

Background

Clark was born on January 7, 1869, to Oren Andrus and Jeannette (Jones) Clark in

Ashford, Connecticut Ashford is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. It is part of the Connecticut Quiet Corner. The population was 4,191 at the 2020 census. It was founded in 1714. Eastford was a part of Ashford until 1847, when the former split off ...

. He was educated in public school and in 1887 graduated from the Connecticut State Normal School (now

Central Connecticut State University Central Connecticut State University (Central Connecticut, CCSU, Central Connecticut State, or informally Central) is a public university in New Britain, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1849 as the State Normal School, CCSU is Connecticut ...

). Clark taught at a school in

Waterville, Connecticut Waterville is a neighborhood of the city of Waterbury, Connecticut. It was formerly known as Pine Hole and Haydensville. It has been home to industrial and manufacturing facilities from the 1960s onward. The ethnic makeup of Waterville consists of ...

, before becoming Principal of

Manchester, Connecticut Manchester is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 59,713. The urban center of the town is the Manchester census-designated place, with a population of 36,379 at the 202 ...

's grade school. In 1891 he enrolled at

Williston Seminary Williston Northampton School (simply referred to as Williston) is a private, co-educational, day and boarding college-preparatory school in Easthampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1841. History Williston Seminary was ...

. From there he went to

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Epis ...

and graduated with a

Bachelor of Philosophy Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil, BPh, or PhB; la, Baccalaureus Philosophiae or ) is the title of an academic degree that usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects. Unlike many other bachelor's ...

in 1895. Following his graduation, Clark worked briefly in

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

as a reporter for ''The Hartford Post''. From there he moved to

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, ...

, where he became a telegraph editor for the ''

Washington Times ''The Washington Times'' is an American conservative daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., that covers general interest topics with a particular emphasis on national politics. Its broadsheet daily edition is distributed throughout ...

''. He followed this by a stint as a Washington

correspondent A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...

for the '' New York Commercial Advertiser'' before joining '' The Suns Washington bureau in 1897. Clark remained with ''The Sun'' until 1909, adding the roles of Washington correspondent for the ''

Seattle Post-Intelligencer The ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' (popularly known as the ''Seattle P-I'', the ''Post-Intelligencer'', or simply the ''P-I'') is an online newspaper and former print newspaper based in Seattle, Washington, United States. The newspaper was foun ...

'' in 1900 and '' The Globe'' (Toronto) in 1904. Clark married Lucy Harrison Norvell of Washington, D.C., on January 15, 1898.

Alaska

Clark was appointed Governor of the District of Alaska by President

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

on May 18, 1909. The president considered the new governor to be knowledgeable about the district because Clark had prospected for gold near

Nome, Alaska Nome (; ik, Sitŋasuaq, ) is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of Alaska, United States. The city is located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. It had a population of 3,699 recorded ...

, for a short time in 1900 and traveled through the district in both 1903 and 1906. This view was however not universally held, with some Alaskans viewing the new governor as a

carpetbagger In the history of the United States, carpetbagger is a largely historical term used by Southerners to describe opportunistic Northerners who came to the Southern states after the American Civil War, who were perceived to be exploiting the lo ...

. As governor, Clark attempted to bring the district's various political factions together. One point where he differed from the majority of Alaskans was on the issue of territorial status, which the governor opposed. Clark's opposition was based upon Alaska's small population (36,556

whites White is a racialized classification of people and a skin color specifier, generally used for people of European origin, although the definition can vary depending on context, nationality, and point of view. Description of populations as " ...

) and the general lack of transportation infrastructure throughout the district. His opposition however became moot when Republicans lost control of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

during the 1910 election. With the House under Democratic control, legislation granting Alaska territorial status was pushed through and became effective on August 24, 1912. During the territory's first legislative session, Clark signed laws creating a variety of regulatory agencies and implementing

compulsory education Compulsory education refers to a period of education that is required of all people and is imposed by the government. This education may take place at a registered school or at other places. Compulsory school attendance or compulsory schooling ...

juvenile court A juvenile court, also known as young offender's court or children's court, is a tribunal having special authority to pass judgements for crimes that are committed by children who have not attained the age of majority. In most modern legal s ...

eight-hour day The eight-hour day movement (also known as the 40-hour week movement or the short-time movement) was a social movement to regulate the length of a working day, preventing excesses and abuses. An eight-hour work day has its origins in the 16 ...

s for workers in many industries, and

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

. The legislature also followed his recommendation to impose a tax on the canning of salmon. His last day in office came on May 21, 1913, when he resigned to make way for

Wilson Wilson may refer to: People * Wilson (name) ** List of people with given name Wilson ** List of people with surname Wilson * Wilson (footballer, 1927–1998), Brazilian manager and defender * Wilson (footballer, born 1984), full name Wilson Ro ...

appointee John Franklin Alexander Strong.

Later life

After leaving office, Clark moved to

Charleston, West Virginia Charleston is the capital and List of cities in West Virginia, most populous city of West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Elk River (West Virginia), Elk and Kanawha River, Kanawha rivers, the city had a population of 48,864 at the 20 ...

. There he purchased the ''News Mail'' and changed the paper's name to the ''

Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...

''. Clark served as

publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

and

editor in chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of the ''Daily Mail'' for the rest of his life. Lucy Harrison Norvell Clark died in May 1928. The former governor remarried the next year, wedding Juliet (Staunton) Clay on August 13, 1929. Socially he was a member of Charleston's Edgewood Club, the

Metropolitan Club The Metropolitan Club of New York is a private social club on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded as a gentlemen's club in 1891 for men only, but it was one of the first major clubs in New York to admit women, t ...

, the

Arctic Club The Arctic Club Building is a ten-story hotel in Seattle, Washington located at the Northeast corner of Third Avenue and Cherry Street. Built in 1914 for the Arctic Club, a social group established by wealthy individuals who experienced Alaska's ...

, and Washington's Chevy Chase Club. He was also cultivated an interest in

rose A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...

cultivation. In this role he founded the Charleston Rose Society in 1922 and served as president of the

American Rose Society The American Rose Center is a rose garden in Shreveport, Louisiana owned and operated by The American Rose Society. There are over 20,000 rose bushes of 100 varieties in 65 separate rose gardens on 118 acres of pine forests and woodlands. Ame ...

in 1928 through 1929. Additionally he was a judge at the 1929 International Rose Show. In 1945, Clark received an honorary

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

from

. That same year he experienced a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

and suffered from poor health for the next five years. Clark died in Charleston from another heart attack on February 4, 1950. After her husband's death, Juliet Staunton Clark took over the management of the newspaper. Three years later she was found brutally beaten to death in her Charleston home on August 21, 1953. Despite the Daily Mail offering a $15,000 reward, her killer has never been determined.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Walter Eli 1869 births 1950 deaths People from Ashford, Connecticut American Congregationalists Alaska Republicans Governors of the District of Alaska Governors of Alaska Territory 20th-century American politicians American newspaper publishers (people) Editors of West Virginia newspapers Journalists from West Virginia Politicians from Charleston, West Virginia Central Connecticut State University alumni Wesleyan University alumni