Clark Wallace Thompson (August 6, 1896 – December 16, 1981) was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin on August 6, 1896, and moved to

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

in 1901 with his parents, who settled in

Cascade Locks Cascade Locks is a city in Hood River County, Oregon, United States. The city took its name from a set of locks built to improve navigation past the Cascades Rapids of the Columbia River. The U.S. federal government approved the plan for the l ...

. Thompson attended the common schools and the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

at Eugene. He enlisted in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

serving from 1917–1918. He remained a United States Marine Corps reservist until 1946 except when he again served on active duty during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

from 1940–1942. On November 16, 1918, he married Libbie Moody, daughter of William Lewis Moody, Jr. of Galveston, Texas. Thompson served as

treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

of the

American National Insurance Company American National Insurance Company (ANICO) is a major American insurance corporation based in Galveston, Texas. The company and its subsidiaries operate in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Company description American National was founded in ...

and was a Democratic member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

from the 7th district of Texas from 1933 to 1935, having been elected to fill the vacancy caused by the death of United States Representative Clay Stone Briggs. He later represented the Texas's 9th district from 1947 until he retired in 1966. He was one of the majority of the Texan delegation to decline to sign the 1956 Southern Manifesto opposing the desegregation of public schools ordered by the Supreme Court in ''

Brown v. Board of Education ''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segrega ...

''. However, Thompson voted against the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Jan ...

, as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, while voting present on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and not voting on the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Thompson died on December 16, 1981, in Galveston, Texas and was buried in Galveston Memorial Park Cemetery.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Clark 1896 births 1981 deaths People from Galveston, Texas Politicians from La Crosse, Wisconsin Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas 20th-century American politicians