Maurice B. Clark (1827–1901) was a partner in a produce business with John D. Rockefeller Sr, along with Clark's two brothers, James and Richard. Clark was from

Malmesbury Malmesbury () is a town and civil parish in north Wiltshire, England, which lies approximately west of Swindon, northeast of Bristol, and north of Chippenham. The older part of the town is on a hilltop which is almost surrounded by the upp ...

, England and moved to the United States in 1847. He studied with Rockefeller at

Folsom's Commercial College Chancellor University was a private for-profit university in Cleveland, Ohio. The school was founded in 1848 as Folsom's Mercantile College to teach basic bookkeeping and business skills. It underwent several changes of name and ownership during ...

in Ohio. His business career began with the firm of Otis & Sinclair. He went on partner with John Rockefeller in 1856, forming a grain and produce business that grew with the addition of several other partners to be Clark, Rockefeller, & Co in 1864. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

(1863), the two partners went into the oil business. Eventually, Rockefeller bought Clark's (and his brothers') share of the company at auction for $72,500. Following this, Clark went on to start another oil company, the Star Oil company, which passed through several names and changes of partner, becoming Clark Brothers & Co, and Clark, Payne, & Co. In 1868, he joined new partners to form the Clark, Schurmer, & Scofield Company, which then became Clark, Scofield, and Teagle. Following his work in the oil industry, he helped to organize the

Cleveland Co-operative Stove Company Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

. At the time of his death, he presided over the board of directors and he had been the company's president for twenty years. In addition to his work in the business community, he served one term in the City Council of Cleveland, representing the "old fourth ward" from 1872 to 1873. He was also a prominent abolitionist, and one of the charter members of the First Wesleyan Methodist Church, known for its abolitionist outlook.

References

* ''Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.'', Ron Chernow, Random House, 1998. People from Malmesbury 1827 births 1901 deaths 19th-century American businesspeople {{US-business-bio-1820s-stub