John Clark (February 1, 1761 – August 14, 1821) was an American farmer and politician from Blackbird Hundred in

New Castle County, Delaware New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex). As of the 2020 census, the population was 570,719, making it the most populous county in Delaware, with nearly 60% of th ...

, near

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prom ...

. He was a member of the

Federalist Party The Federalist Party was a conservative political party which was the first political party in the United States. As such, under Alexander Hamilton, it dominated the national government from 1789 to 1801. Defeated by the Jeffersonian Repu ...

, who served in the

Delaware General Assembly The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 representatives. It meets at Legisl ...

and as

Governor of Delaware 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 ...

Early life and family

Clark was born at "New Bristol" in what is now

Blackbird Hundred Blackbird Hundred is an unincorporated subdivision of New Castle County, Delaware. Hundreds were once used as a basis for representation in the Delaware General Assembly, and while their names still appear on all real estate transactions, they ...

, New Castle County, just north of Smyrna, Delaware, son of William Clark. In 1784 he married Sarah Cook Corbit, daughter of Governor John Cook, and had a least one child, Mary. They lived at Clearfield Farm in what is now Blackbird Hundred in a house since used as an administrative office for the correctional facility located there. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church.

Political career

Clark was unusual politically in that he was a

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

and a Presbyterian from New Castle County. The more typical Federalist was an Episcopalian or Methodist and from

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

or Sussex County. The more typical

Democratic-Republican The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the early ...

was a Presbyterian from

New Castle County New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex). As of the 2020 census, the population was 570,719, making it the most populous county in Delaware, with nearly 60% of the ...

. Nevertheless, in 1816 he defeated the Federalist candidate, Manaen Bull of Laurel in Sussex County and served as

from January 21, 1817 until January 18, 1820. As governor he was one of a succession advocating improvements in public education. Carol Hoffecker in ''Democracy in Delaware'' relates how he "argued that Delaware had a special need to educate its people because the state lacked vacant land for an expanding population. Therefore, he said 'much reliance must be placed on the mental talents of our citizens for the support of our power and importance in the Union.'" , p. 76 Quotation from the ''Journal of the House of Representatives (1817), p. 181. The

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of pres ...

responded by appropriating a laughable $1,000 to each county for this purpose. Furthermore, Delaware was stagnating. Medieval sounding punishments, like nailing ears to a pillory post, continued to be meted out in the penal system. The soil was increasingly exhausted and, due to the resulting out migration, Delaware's population in 1820 was roughly the same as in 1810. An immediate, and permanent, consequence was that it lost its second seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Death and legacy

Clark died at

and is buried in the Duck Creek Presbyterian Churchyard, now Holy Hill Cemetery, located south of

on Lake Como.

Almanac

Elections were held the first Tuesday in October. Members of the

took office in the first Tuesday of January. State representatives had a term of one year. The governor takes office the third Tuesday in January, and had a three-year term.

Notes

References

* * * * *

External links

Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, John 1761 births 1821 deaths American Presbyterians People from New Castle County, Delaware Delaware Federalists Members of the Delaware House of Representatives Governors of Delaware Burials in Kent County, Delaware Federalist Party state governors of the United States People of colonial Delaware