Edward Walter Clark (May 17, 1857 – April 4, 1946) was a

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

businessman and banker who was also noted as a

first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is of three or more days scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officially adju ...

er, yachtsman, and a breeder of cocker spaniels. A third-generation member of the

Clark banking family Clark is an English language surname with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland, ultimately derived from the Latin ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educated ...

, Clark was a

senior partner A partnership is an agreement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments or combinations. Organizations m ...

in the E. W. Clark & Co. investment house, a vice president of the First National Bank of Philadelphia, and a manager of

Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company was a mining and transportation company headquartered in Mauch Chunk, now known as Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. The company operated from 1818 until its dissolution in 1964 and played an early and influential role in ...

. In his leisure time, he was a prominent cricket player in Philadelphia-area clubs, served as commodore of the Philadelphia Corinthian Yacht Club, and was a part-owner of the Irolita Kennels.

Biography

He was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, on May 17, 1857. He was the eldest of six siblings, including a brother, Clarence Munroe Clark, born to Mary Todhunter Sill (1835-1908) and Edward White Clark (1828-1904). His grandfather was

Enoch White Clark Enoch White Clark (November 16, 1802 – August 4, 1856) was the founder of E. W. Clark & Co., a prominent financial firm based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that helped the U.S. government finance the Mexican–American War. In 1857, Clark was ...

(1802-1856). Edward was called "Jr." to distinguish him from his father. Clark, who attended

Germantown Academy Germantown Academy, informally known as GA and originally known as the Union School, is the oldest nonsectarian day school in the United States. The school was founded on December 6, 1759, by a group of prominent Germantown citizens in the ...

and the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

. He married Lydia Jane Newhall (1858-1936) on October 31, 1882, in Philadelphia. They had two sons, George Newhall Clark (1887-1906), who died while at Harvard of influenza; and Sydney Procter Clark; and two daughters, Frances Clark Stoddard, and Christine Clark Willetts. In 1904, he became a

at E. W. Clark & Co. He became a trustee of the

Pomfret School Pomfret School is an independent, coeducational, college preparatory boarding and day school in Pomfret, Connecticut, United States, serving 350 students in grades 9 through 12 and post-graduates. Founded in 1894, it is located in the Pomfret St ...

, and gave the school a dormitory, Dunworth, in 1905. In 1907, he donated the Clark Memorial Chapel to honor his deceased son. In 1925, he bought the yacht ''

Resolute Resolute may refer to: Geography * Resolute, Nunavut, Canada, a hamlet * Resolute Bay, Nunavut * Resolute Mountain, Alberta, Canada Military operations * Operation Resolute, the Australian Defence Force contribution to patrolling Australia's Exc ...

''. In 1930, with Winthrop Aldrich and

Vincent Astor William Vincent Astor (November 15, 1891 – February 3, 1959) was an American businessman, philanthropist, and member of the prominent Astor family. Early life Called Vincent, he was born in New York City on November 15, 1891. Astor was the eld ...

, he financed the sloop ''

Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterpris ...

'' to compete in the

America's Cup The America's Cup is a sailing competition and the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one from the yacht club that currently holds the trophy (known ...

Clubs

He was a member of the

Rittenhouse Club Rittenhouse Club was a private institution and social club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1875 to allow "businessmen, intellectuals and artists to socialize in a congenial, friendly atmosphere." History 19th century The Gentleme ...

, the

Racquet Club of Philadelphia The Racquet Club of Philadelphia (RCOP) is a private social club and athletic club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It has facilities for squash, real tennis, and racquets. The club is ranked in the Top 20 Athletic Clubs on the Platinum Club o ...

, the

Germantown Cricket Club The Germantown Cricket Club is a cricket club in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was one of the four principal cricket clubs in the city and was one of the clubs contributing members to the Philadelphian cricket ...

, the

Union League The Union Leagues were quasi-secretive men's clubs established separately, starting in 1862, and continuing throughout the Civil War (1861–1865). The oldest Union League of America council member, an organization originally called "The Leagu ...

, the

New York Yacht Club The New York Yacht Club (NYYC) is a private social club and yacht club based in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1844 by nine prominent sportsmen. The members have contributed to the sport of yachting and yacht design. ...

Cricket

Clark was a prominent cricketer, playing as a right-handed middle-order batsman and a right-arm medium bowler, bowling in the round-arm style. His career in front-rank American cricket lasted from 1877 to 1906, during which he played for many different sides. Between 1880 and 1897, he appeared in 27 matches that are considered as "first-class cricket", some of them all-American games and others against touring teams from England. His highest first-class score was an innings of 147 made in a rather strange match in 1894 in which his team batted for the whole of the two days allotted to the game, which was therefore left drawn. His brothers Herbert,

Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...

, and Percy also played first-class cricket, though Joseph was better known as a tennis champion.

Death

He died on April 4, 1946, at

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is the flagship hospital of Jefferson Health, a multi-state non-profit health system based in Philadelphia. The hospital serves as the teaching hospital for Thomas Jefferson University. With 937 licensed b ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Edward Walter 1857 births 1946 deaths E. W. Clark & Co. Clark banking family Germantown Academy alumni University of Pennsylvania alumni Members of the New York Yacht Club Businesspeople from Philadelphia