John Clark (sometimes spelled Clarke) (February 28, 1766October 12, 1832) was an American planter and politician.

Early life

Clark was born in 1766 in

Edgecombe County, North Carolina Edgecombe County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,900. Its county seat is Tarboro. Edgecombe County is part of the Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Metropolitan Statistical Area. ...

. Along with his father,

Elijah Clarke Elijah Clarke (1742 – December 15, 1799) was an American military officer and Georgia legislator. Career Elijah Clarke was born near Tarboro in Edgecombe County, Province of North Carolina, the son of John Clarke of Anson County, North Car ...

, Clark fought 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 ...

at the

Battle of Kettle Creek The Battle of Kettle Creek was the first major victory for Patriots in the back country of Georgia during the American Revolutionary War that took place on February 14, 1779. It was fought in Wilkes County about from present-day Washington, G ...

and served in the Georgia militia. He moved to

Wilkes County, Georgia Wilkes County is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,593. The county seat is the city of Washington. Referred to as "Washington-Wilkes", the county seat and c ...

, in the early 1770s. He became a

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

in 1796.

Political career

Clark served as a

presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia app ...

in the 1816 presidential election. He served in the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republicans have had a majority in the chamber since 2005. ...

before he was elected to consecutive two-year terms as the 31st Governor, from 1819 to 1823. During his term, he successfully defended

states' rights In American political discourse, states' rights are political powers held for the state governments rather than the federal government according to the United States Constitution, reflecting especially the enumerated powers of Congress and the ...

in a

US Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of ...

case, '' Ex parte Madrazzo'', over a Spanish citizen who claimed that he owned some of Clark's slaves.

Personal life

Clark resided at Woodville, a plantation in Milledgeville, Georgia. He was married to Nancy Clark.

Death and legacy

Clark died of

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. ...

in St. Andrews Bay (Florida) in 1832 in what was then Washington County (now

Bay County Bay County is the name of three counties: * Bay County, Florida, United States * Bay County, Michigan, United States * Baicheng County Baicheng County () as the official romanized name, also transliterated from Uyghur as Bay County (pronounced l ...

) and was buried in that same city; however, his grave was relocated to Marietta National Cemetery in Georgia in 1923 by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Clarkesville, Georgia Clarkesville is a city that is the county seat of Habersham County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 1,911, up from the 2010 census population of 1,733, up from 1,248 at the 2000 census. History Clarkesvi ...

and

Clarke County, Alabama Clarke County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,087. The county seat is Grove Hill. The county's largest city is Jackson. The county was created by the l ...

are named after him.

References

Sources

"John Clark (1766-1832),"
New Georgia Encyclopedia.
''Georgia Governor's Gravesites Field Guide (1776-2003)''John Clark House
historical marker

External links

Troup-Clarke Political Feud
historical marker {{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, John 1766 births 1832 deaths People from Edgecombe County, North Carolina Governors of Georgia (U.S. state) Members of the Georgia House of Representatives Georgia (U.S. state) militiamen in the American Revolution Deaths from yellow fever People of Georgia (U.S. state) in the American Revolution Infectious disease deaths in Florida Burials in Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia (U.S. state) Democratic-Republicans Democratic-Republican Party state governors of the United States American planters American slave owners American duellists People from Wilkes County, Georgia 1816 United States presidential electors