John Bullock Clark Sr. (April 17, 1802 – October 29, 1885) was a politician who served as a member of the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

and Confederate Congress.

Early life and education

John B. Clark Sr. was born in Madison County, Kentucky, a nephew of Congressmen Christopher Henderson Clark and James Clark. He attended the country schools, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1824. Establishing a law practice in

Fayette, Missouri Fayette is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Missouri, United States. It is part of the Columbia, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 2,803 at the 2020 census. History Fayette was laid out in 1823. The ...

, he served as clerk of the Howard County courts from 1824 until 1834.

Career

Clark was commissioned

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military 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 colonel was typically in charge of ...

of Missouri Mounted Volunteers during the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", crosse ...

in 1832 and was selected to command Missouri state forces during the

Missouri Mormon War The 1838 Mormon War, also known as the Missouri Mormon War, was a conflict between Mormons and non-Mormons in Missouri from August to November 1838, the first of the three " Mormon Wars". Members of the Latter Day Saint movement, founded by J ...

. Governor

Lilburn Boggs Lilburn Williams Boggs (December 14, 1796March 14, 1860) was the sixth Governor of Missouri from 1836 to 1840. He is now most widely remembered for his interactions with Joseph Smith and Porter Rockwell, and Missouri Executive Order 44, known b ...

addressed his infamous 1838 Extermination Order 44 to Clark, directing that the

Mormons Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

be "exterminated, or driven from the state." He was promoted to

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

of the state

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

in 1848. Entering politics, Clark was a member of the Missouri House of Representatives in 1850 and 1851. He was appointed as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the

Thirty-fifth Congress The 35th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1857, ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

James S. Green James Stephen Green (February 28, 1817January 19, 1870) was a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic United States Representative and United States Senate, Senator from Missouri. Early life and education Born near Rectortown, Virginia, ...

. He was re-elected to the Thirty-sixth and Thirty-seventh Congresses and served from December 7, 1857, until July 13, 1861, when he was expelled for having taken up arms against the

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

. He was replaced by

William Augustus Hall William Augustus Hall (October 15, 1815 – December 15, 1888) was an American politician who served in the US House of Representatives. He was the brother of Missouri Governor and Representative Willard Preble Hall and the father of Representati ...

. Clark served as a senator from Missouri in the First Confederate Congress and a Representative in the

Second Confederate Congress The 2nd Confederate States Congress, consisting of the Confederate States Senate and the Confederate States House of Representatives, met from May 2, 1864, to March 18, 1865, during the last year of Jefferson Davis's presidency, at the Virginia S ...

. He also served in the field as a

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

in the Missouri State Guard. Eight days prior to his being expelled from the U.S. Congress, Brigadier General Clark fought at the July 5, 1861 Battle of Carthage. On November 10, 1865, Major General

Philip Sheridan General of the Army Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close as ...

recommended the release of Senator Clark from confinement at Fort Jackson due to poor health. After the war, he practiced law until his death in

. He was buried in Fayette Cemetery. His son

John Bullock Clark Jr. John Bullock Clark Jr. (January 14, 1831 – September 7, 1903) was a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and a postbellum five-term U.S. Congressman from Missouri. Biography Clark was born in Fayette, Missou ...

served as a general in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

as well as a

postbellum may refer to: * Any post-war period or era * Post-war period following the American Civil War (1861–1865); nearly synonymous to Reconstruction era (1863–1877) * Post-war period in Peru following its defeat at the War of the Pacific (1879� ...

U.S. Congressman.

Notes

References

* * * Retrieved on 2009-04-20 , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, John Bullock 1802 births 1885 deaths 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians American people of the Black Hawk War Confederate militia generals Confederate States of America senators Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri Deputies and delegates to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States Expelled members of the United States House of Representatives Members of the Confederate House of Representatives from Missouri Democratic Party members of the Missouri House of Representatives Missouri lawyers Missouri State Guard People from Fayette, Missouri People from Madison County, Kentucky

Early life and education

Career

See also

Notes

References