Edward Clark (April 1, 1815May 4, 1880) was the eighth

governor of Texas The governor of Texas is the head of state of the U.S. state of Texas. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Texas and is the commander-in-chief of the Texas Military Forces. Established in the Constit ...

. His term coincided with the beginning of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Early life

Edward Clark was born on April 1, 1815, in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. His father was named Elijah Clark Jr. His paternal uncle, John Clark, served as the

Governor of Georgia The governor of Georgia is the head of government of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the commander-in-chief of the state's Georgia National Guard, National Guard, when not in federal service, and Georgia State Defense Force, State Defense Fo ...

from 1819 to 1823. His paternal grandfather was Elijah Clarke. Clark grew up in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. After his father died in the 1830s, he moved to

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

, with his mother and studied the law.

Career

Clark moved to Texas in 1842 and set up a law practice. He served in the Texas Annexation Convention and two terms as a state representative in the

Texas Legislature The Texas State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a p ...

. During the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

he served on the staff of Major General J. Pinckney Henderson and fought in the Battle of Monterrey. When the war ended, he served as secretary of state under Governor Elisha M. Pease and as lieutenant governor serving under Governor

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two indi ...

. When Sam Houston refused to take an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy, Clark became governor. Among Clark's first actions was to order the surrender of all fire arms and ammunition from private merchants to the state. Furthermore, all privately owned firearms were to be canvassed. Few weapons were ever turned in and most Texans did not comply for fear of future confiscation. (Lone Star by T.R. Fehrenbach, pg 353) After losing the governor's race by 124 votes to Francis Lubbock, Clark became a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in the Texas militia during the

. In 1863 he joined the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the Military forces of the Confederate States, military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) duri ...

and was commissioned colonel of the

14th Texas Infantry Regiment The 14th Texas Infantry Regiment was a unit of volunteers recruited in Texas that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment organized in the summer of 1862 and spent its entire existence west of the Mississi ...

. He commanded the unit, as part of the Greyhound Division, until being wounded in the

Battle of Pleasant Hill The Battle of Pleasant Hill on April 9, 1864, in Louisiana formed part of the Red River Campaign during the American Civil War, when Union Army, Union forces were attempting to occupy the Louisiana state capital, Shreveport, Louisiana, Shrevepo ...

. A promotion to brigadier general was not confirmed by the

Confederate Congress The Confederate States Congress was both the provisional and permanent legislative assembly/legislature of the Confederate States of America that existed from February 1861 to April/June 1865, during the American Civil War. Its actions were, ...

and he left the service; however, in 1865 he was made a brigadier in the militia. He fled briefly to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

at the end of the

, and returned home to

Marshall, Texas Marshall is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Harrison County, Texas, Harrison County and a cultural and educational center of the Ark-La-Tex region. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population of ...

Personal life

Clark married Lucy Long in 1840, but she died shortly after. He married Martha Melissa Evans in 1849. They had four children, including: * William Evans Clark (Apr 1849 in Marshall, Harrison County, Texas – Jun 1852 in same); * John Evans Clark (30 Jan 1852 in Marshall, Harrison County, Texas – 9 Oct 1923 in same), who married twice and had at least three children; * William Evans Alfred Clark (12 Jul 1853 – 9 Apr 1879); and * Nannie M Clark (c. 1855 – 8 Jan 1913 Harrison County, Texas), m. 23 Nov 1881 in Harrison County to Daniel C Wallis (alias Wallace).

Death

Clark died on May 4, 1880, in Marshall, Texas. His grave in the Marshall City Cemetery is marked with a historical marker.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Edward 1815 births 1880 deaths American military personnel of the Mexican–American War Confederate States of America state governors Confederate States Army officers Confederate militia generals Democratic Party governors of Texas Lieutenant governors of Texas People from Marshall, Texas People of Texas in the American Civil War Secretaries of state of Texas Democratic Party Texas state senators Military personnel from Texas 19th-century members of the Texas Legislature

Early life

Career

Personal life

Death

See also

References