Benjamin S. W. Clark (May 27, 1829 – October 19, 1912) was an American merchant and politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. He was the first

New York State Superintendent of Public Works The office of Superintendent of Public Works was created by an 1876 amendment to the New York State Constitution. It abolished the canal commissioners and established that the Department of Public Works execute all laws relating to canal maintenan ...

Biography

He was born in

Franklin County, New York Franklin County is a County (United States), county on the northern border of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. To the north across the Canada–United States border are the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, from east to ...

, to Samuel Smith Clark (1801–1870) and Jane Ann (Wead) Clark (1806–1872) on May 27, 1829. Samuel Smith Clark was Franklin County Clerk from 1832 to 1834. Samuel's father was Benjamin Clark who was First Judge of the Franklin County Court from 1825 to 1829. In 1851, Benjamin S. W. Clark married Adaline W. Meigs. He was Cashier of the Farmers National Bank of Malone. He was Franklin County Treasurer from 1858 to 1860, and later Clerk for the Board of Supervisors of Franklin County. In March 1876, he was appointed by Governor Samuel J. Tilden an Inspector of State Prisons to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Moss K. Platt. He was appointed

Warden of Sing Sing The Wardens of Sing Sing are appointed by the Commissioner of the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. *Elam Lynds (1825–1830) *Robert Wiltse (1830–1840) *David L. Seymour (warden), David L. Seymour (1840–1843) *William H. Pec ...

in 1877. He was the first

under the State constitutional amendment of 1876, appointed after a year-long struggle between Governor

Lucius Robinson Lucius Robinson (November 4, 1810 – March 23, 1891) was an American lawyer and politician. He was the 26th governor of New York from 1877 to 1879. Early life Lucius Robinson was born on November 4, 1810, in Windham, New York, to Mary and Eli ...

and a hostile

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...

which had rejected the appointment of Robinson's first three nominees,

George B. McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey and as Commanding General of the United States Army from November 1861 to March 186 ...

, Charles S. Fairchild and

Daniel Magone Daniel Magone (January 12, 1827 – September 4, 1904) was an American lawyer who was Collector of the Port of New York during the first administration of United States President Grover Cleveland. Early life Magone was born in Oswegatchie, Ne ...

. Around 1900 he was a New York State Bank Examiner. He died on October 19, 1912, in

Malone, New York Malone is a town in Franklin County, New York, United States. The population was 12,433 at the 2020 census. The town contains a village also named Malone. The town is an interior town located in the north-central part of the county. History ...

, and was buried at the Morningside Cemetery in Malone.

References

External links

Gravestone transcription
at

RootsWeb Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. It is owned by The ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Benjamin S W 1829 births 1912 deaths People from Franklin County, New York New York state prison inspectors New York state superintendents of public works Wardens of Sing Sing People from Malone, New York 19th-century New York (state) politicians