Clarence Munroe Clark (August 27, 1859 – June 29, 1937) was an American financier who helped develop electric light, power, and streetcar companies, as well as a noted

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

player.

Biography

Born in the

Germantown Germantown or German Town may refer to: Places Australia * Germantown, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region United States * Germantown, California, the former name of Artois, a census-designated place in Glenn County * Ge ...

section of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, he was part of a distinguished family from Philadelphia. He graduated at age 19 from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

in 1878. In 1881, he became the first secretary of the

United States Lawn Tennis Association The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis ...

. That same year, he won the first doubles tournament in the U.S. National Championships (later called the U.S. Open), playing with

Frederick Winslow Taylor Frederick Winslow Taylor (March 20, 1856 – March 21, 1915) was an American mechanical engineer. He was widely known for his methods to improve industrial efficiency. He was one of the first management consultants. In 1909, Taylor summed up ...

, after defeating first the favored

Richard Sears Richard Sears may refer to: * Richard Warren Sears (1863–1914), founder of Sears, Roebuck and Co. * Richard Sears (pilgrim) (1595–1676), early settler of Yarmouth, Cape Cod, Massachusetts *Richard Sears (tennis) Richard Dudley Sears (Octobe ...

James Dwight James Dwight (July 14, 1852, France – July 13, 1917) was an American tennis player who was known as the "Founding Father of American Tennis". Biography Dwight won the first recorded tournament in the U.S. (and probably in the world, before the ...

, and in the final round, Alexander Van Rensselaer/ Arthur Newbold. In

1882 Events January–March * January 2 ** The Standard Oil Trust is secretly created in the United States to control multiple corporations set up by John D. Rockefeller and his associates. ** Irish-born author Oscar Wilde arrives in t ...

, he reached the final of the championships, where he lost to reigning champion Sears in straight sets. Clark also reached the semifinals in 1884. He married the sister of his doubles partner, Taylor, who would go on to a noted career as an engineer and

organizational theorist Organizational theory refers to the set of interrelated concepts that involve the sociological study of the structures and operations of formal social organizations. Organizational theory also attempts to explain how interrelated units of organiz ...

. In 1900, Clark became a partner in his family's firm, E. W. Clark & Co., placed in charge of public utility investments. "He was a pioneer in the development of electric light, electric power, and electric street railway companies," according to his obituary in the ''New York Times.'' At various times, he was a president of the Nashville Railway and Light Company, the

Tennessee Electric Power Company The Chattanooga and Tennessee Electric Power Company was formed in 1905 by Josephus C. Guild, Charles E. James and Anthony N. Brady to produce hydroelectric power and improving the navigation of the Tennessee River. Josephus Guild, a young engin ...

, the Portland (Ore.) Electric Power Company, as well as a director or other official of many more companies. Clark endowed a professorship in Mountain Agriculture at

Berea College Berea College is a private liberal arts work college in Berea, Kentucky. Founded in 1855, Berea College was the first college in the Southern United States to be coeducational and racially integrated. Berea College charges no tuition; every a ...

. He died on June 29, 1937, at the age of 77, at his home, Cedron, in

Germantown, Philadelphia Germantown ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Deitscheschteddel'') is an area in Northwest Philadelphia. Founded by German, Quaker, and Mennonite families in 1683 as an independent borough, it was absorbed into Philadelphia in 1854. The area, which is ...

. He was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1983, joining his brother Joseph Clark, who was inducted in 1955. Clark shares a burial plot in the River section of

West Laurel Hill Cemetery West Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1869, is 200 acres in size and contains the burials of many notable people. It is affiliated with Laurel Hill Cemetery in neighboring P ...

Bala Cynwyd Bala Cynwyd ( ) is a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania. It is located on the Philadelphia Main Line in Southeastern Pennsylvania, bordering the western edge of Philadelphia at U.S. Route 1 (City Avenue). It was originally two separ ...

, PA, with his brother-in-law Frederick Winslow Taylor.

Grand Slam finals

Singles (1 runner-up)

References

External links

*
Image of Clark's house
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Clarence 1859 births 1937 deaths 19th-century American people 19th-century male tennis players American male tennis players Burials at West Laurel Hill Cemetery University of Pennsylvania alumni International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees Tennis players from Philadelphia United States National champions (tennis) Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's doubles Clark banking family