Martha Fuller Clark (born March 14, 1942 in

York, Maine York is a town in York County, Maine, United States, near the southern tip of the state. The population in the 2020 census was 13,723. Situated beside the Atlantic Ocean on the Gulf of Maine, York is a well-known summer resort town. It is home ...

) is a former Democratic member of the

New Hampshire Senate The New Hampshire Senate has been meeting since 1784. It is the upper house of the New Hampshire General Court, alongside the lower New Hampshire House of Representatives. It consists of 24 members representing Senate districts based on populatio ...

, representing the 21st district from 2012 until 2020 and the 24th district from 2004 until 2010. Prior to her Senate service she was a member of the

New Hampshire House of Representatives The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court, the bicameral legislature of the state of New Hampshire. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members coming from 204 legislative district ...

from 1990 through 2002. She first ran for the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

to represent

New Hampshire's 1st congressional district New Hampshire's 1st congressional district covers parts of Southern New Hampshire and the eastern portion of the state. The district contains parts of Hillsborough, Rockingham, Merrimack, Grafton, and Belknap counties; and the entirety of ...

in 2000 but was defeated by then incumbent representative

John E. Sununu John Edward Sununu (born September 10, 1964) is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senator from New Hampshire. Sununu was the youngest member of the Senate for his entire ...

. She ran again in 2002, but lost to former Congressman

Jeb Bradley Joseph E. "Jeb" Bradley (born October 20, 1952) is an American politician and member of the Republican Party who serves in the New Hampshire Senate. He represents his hometown of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire and 16 other towns in east-central New Ha ...

. Today, Sen. Clark serves as Vice-Chair of the

New Hampshire Democratic Party The New Hampshire Democratic Party (NHDP) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Its chair is Raymond Buckley, and its vice chairs are Martha Fuller Clark and Bette Lasky. The most recent Democratic governo ...

and a member of

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well ...

, serving on the Resolutions Committee. In 2008 and again in 2012 she was a co-chair of the New Hampshire Committee to elect Barack Obama President of the United States, a superdelegate to the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, and was a member of the

United States Electoral College 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 a ...

in 2008, when she cast one of New Hampshire's four electoral votes for

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

and Joe Biden. Additionally she serves on a number of boards and commissions in her community. She recently retired as President of the Board of

Strawbery Banke Strawbery Banke is an outdoor history museum located in the South End historic district of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It is the oldest neighborhood in New Hampshire to be settled by Europeans, and the earliest neighborhood remaining in the pr ...

, and continues to serve as on the board. She is also an advisor to the

National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 ...

, and is the past President of

Scenic America Scenic America is a nonprofit advocacy organization and the only national group solely dedicated to removing visual blight and preserving and enhancing the scenic character of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonl ...

. Fuller Clark, daughter of environmental activist and former Maine legislator Marion Fuller Brown, earned a master's degree in art history from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original cam ...

, and an undergraduate degree from

Mills College Mills College at Northeastern University is a private college in Oakland, California and part of Northeastern University's global university system. Mills College was founded as the Young Ladies Seminary in 1852 in Benicia, California; it w ...

. She was born and raised in York, Maine. Since 1973, she and her husband, Dr. Geoffrey Clark, have lived in the city of Portsmouth where they raised their three children, Caleb, Nathaniel, and Anna.

2010 election

On November 2, 2010, Republicans reclaimed control of both chambers of the

state legislature A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

. Clark was one of the casualties, losing her seat to

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Nancy F. Stiles by a narrow 538-vote margin.

2012 election

On November 6, 2012, Clark was returned to the New Hampshire Senate from the newly-redrawn 21st District, which includes her hometown of Portsmouth. She won by ove
11,000 votes

External links

Project Vote Smart - Sen ator Martha Fuller Clark (NH)
profile *''Follow the Money'' - Martha Fuller Clark
2006200420001998
campaign contributions {{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Martha Fuller 1942 births 2008 United States presidential electors 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Boston University College of Arts and Sciences alumni Living people Democratic Party members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives Mills College alumni Democratic Party New Hampshire state senators Women state legislators in New Hampshire