Nathan Clark (July 21, 1718 – April 8, 1792) was a

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

colonial and Revolutionary War leader who served as

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives a ...

Life and career

Clark was born in

Preston, Connecticut Preston is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut planning region. Its population was 4,788 at the 2020 census. The town includes the villages of Long Society, Preston City, and ...

on July 21, 1718. Clark was one of Vermont's founders, settling in

Bennington Bennington is a New England town, town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. It is one of two shire towns (county seats) of the county, the other being Manchester (town), Vermont, Manchester. As of the 2020 United States Census, US Cens ...

in 1762. During the dispute between Vermonters who held land

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

titles from

Benning Wentworth Benning Wentworth (July 24, 1696 – October 14, 1770) was an American merchant, landowner and colonial administrator who served as the List of colonial governors of New Hampshire, governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1766. He is best known ...

, the colonial

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

, and the government of

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 * ...

, which tried to make them acquire confirming titles from New York, Clark was a prominent anti-New Yorker, chairing meetings of citizens called to discuss and plan strategy, and preparing written communications to New York's leaders. In 1777 Clark served as a member of the committee that prepared the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

that created the

Republic of Vermont The Vermont Republic, officially known at the time as the State of Vermont, was an independent state in New England that existed from January 15, 1777, to March 4, 1791. The state was founded in January 1777, when delegates from 28 towns met ...

, an entity which remained in existence until Vermont's acceptance into the Union as the 14th state in 1791. Clark was active in the American Revolution, serving as chairman of Bennington's Committee of Satefy. In addition he served as a Commissary, helping supply the garrison at

Fort Ticonderoga Fort Ticonderoga (), formerly Fort Carillon, is a large 18th-century star fort built by the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain in northern New York. It was constructed between October 1755 and 1757 by French-Canadian ...

, and gathering and organizing the delivery of supplies to the army of

Horatio Gates Horatio Lloyd Gates (July 26, 1727April 10, 1806) was a British-born American army officer who served as a general in the Continental Army during the early years of the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War. He took credit for the Ameri ...

during the

Saratoga Campaign The Saratoga campaign in 1777 was an attempt by the British to gain military control of the strategically important Hudson River valley during the American Revolutionary War. It ended in the surrender of a British army, which historian Edmund M ...

. Several of Clark's sons saw military service, and one, Nathan Clark, Jr., was wounded at the

Battle of Bennington The Battle of Bennington was a battle of the American Revolutionary War, part of the Saratoga campaign, that took place on August 16, 1777, on the John Green farm in Walloomsac, New York, about from its namesake, Bennington, Vermont. An American ...

and later died as a result. Another of Clark's sons, Isaac, served in the Revolution and the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. Isaac Clark married Hannah, one of the daughters of

Thomas Chittenden Thomas Chittenden (January 6, 1730August 25, 1797) was an American politician from Vermont, who was a leader of the territory for nearly two decades. He was the state's first and third governor, serving from 1778 to 1789—when it was a largely ...

. In 1778 Clark was elected to the first session of the Vermont House of Representatives. He was selected to serve as Speaker of the House after Joseph Bowker resigned in order to accept a seat on the

Governor's Council The governments of the Thirteen Colonies of British America developed in the 17th and 18th centuries under the influence of the British constitution. The British monarch issued colonial charters that established either royal colonies, propriet ...

. Clark died in Bennington on April 8, 1792. He was buried in Bennington's Old Cemetery.Gravestone photo by contributor "the moo"
Find A Grave web site, accessed March 7, 2012

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Nathan 1718 births 1792 deaths People from Preston, Connecticut People from colonial Connecticut Politicians from Bennington, Vermont People of Vermont in the American Revolution Members of the Vermont House of Representatives Speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives People from pre-statehood Vermont 18th-century American politicians