Myron Holley Clark (October 23, 1806 – August 23, 1892) was an

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bi ...

from the U.S. state of New York.

Early life

Clark was born in

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

Ontario County, New York Ontario County is a county in the U.S. State of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 112,458. The county seat is Canandaigua. Ontario County is part of the Rochester, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2006, ''Progressive ...

on October 23, 1806. He was the eldest son of Maj. Joseph Clark (1782–1840) and Mary ( Sutton) Clark (1782–1865). His grandfather, Col. William Clark, had migrated to Ontario County from Berkshire County, Massachusetts, in 1790 after the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

. His education was limited and was in the common schools of New York.

Career

He served in the state's militia as a lieutenant colonel and then entered politics, first serving as President of the then-village of

Canandaigua, New York Canandaigua (; ''Utaʼnaráhkhwaʼ'' in Tuscarora) is a city in Ontario County, New York, United States. Its population was 10,545 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Ontario County; some administrative offices are at the county complex ...

, and eventually becoming Sheriff of Ontario County, New York. He was a member of the New York State Senate (29th D.) from 1852 to 1854, sitting in the 75th, 76th and

77th New York State Legislature The 77th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 3 to April 17, 1854, during the second year of Horatio Seymour's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the pro ...

s. At the

New York state election, 1854 The 1854 New York state election was held on November 7, 1854, to elect the governor, the lieutenant governor, a Canal Commissioner and an Inspector of State Prisons, as well as all members of the New York State Assembly. History The National ...

, he was nominated as the Whig candidate, and was elected Governor of New York in the closest gubernatorial election in New York State history. He served as Governor from January 1, 1855 to December 31, 1856. As Governor, Clark was noted for his meddling with militia appointments, causing the resignation of the state

Adjutant General An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

John Watts de Peyster. In 1862, President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

appointed Clark the first Collector of Internal Revenue of in the Ontario County district. Clark made several attempts to effect

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcohol ...

in the state and signed a prohibition law while governor, but the law was declared

unconstitutional Constitutionality is said to be the condition of acting in accordance with an applicable constitution; "Webster On Line" the status of a law, a procedure, or an act's accordance with the laws or set forth in the applicable constitution. When l ...

by the New York Court of Appeals. His steadfast advocating of temperance led to his nomination on the

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcohol ...

ticket to run again for Governor at the

New York state election, 1874 The 1874 New York state election was held on November 3, 1874, to elect the governor, the lieutenant governor, a judge of the New York Court of Appeals, a Canal Commissioner and an Inspector of State Prisons, as well as all members of the New Yo ...

. He finished in third place, behind Democrat Samuel J. Tilden and the incumbent Republican Governor

John Adams Dix John Adams Dix (July 24, 1798 – April 21, 1879) was an American politician and military officer who was Secretary of the Treasury, Governor of New York and Union major general during the Civil War. He was notable for arresting the pro-Souther ...

Personal life

In 1830 Clark was married to Zilpha Watkins (1806–1877), a daughter of Andrew Watkins and Abigail ( Stanley) Watkins. Together, they were the parents of five children, one son and four daughters, including: * Lorenzo Elijah Clark (1833–1917), a banker who married Elizabeth Sheley, a daughter of Alanson Sheley. * Zilpha Clark (1834–1915), who married Samuel D. Backus. * Mary Lee Clark (1835–1923), who married prominent banker Frederick Ferris Thompson. * Charlotte Elizabeth Clark (1838–1929), who died unmarried. * Abigail Stanley Clark (1843–1902), who married banker George Norton Williams, in 1866. Clark died in

on August 23, 1892. He is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in Canandaigua.

Legacy

As a memorial to Clark, his daughter Mary presented a scenic and geologically significant tract of land to New York State in 1915 that is now part of Clark Reservation State Park. Comptroller Clark Williams was his grandson.

References

External links

National Governors Association website

at the New York State Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Myron H. New York (state) Republicans 1806 births 1892 deaths Sheriffs of Ontario County, New York New York (state) Whigs Governors of New York (state) New York (state) state senators People from Naples, New York Politicians from Canandaigua, New York New York (state) Prohibitionists American temperance activists Whig Party state governors of the United States 19th-century American politicians Activists from New York (state)