Reader Wright Clarke (May 18, 1812 – May 23, 1872) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

for two terms from 1865 to 1869.

Biography

Born in

Bethel, Ohio Bethel is a village (United States), village in Tate Township, Clermont County, Ohio, Tate Township, Clermont County, Ohio, Clermont County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,620 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Be ...

, Clarke was the son of Houten Clarke (1766–1835) and Nancy (Riley) Clarke (1786–1857). Clarke learned the art of printing as well as studying law. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1836 and commenced practice in

Batavia, Ohio Batavia ( ) is a village in Clermont County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 1,972 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area. History Batavia was surveyed on May ...

. Clarke published a Whig paper in

Shawneetown, Illinois Shawneetown is a city in Gold Hill Township, Gallatin County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,054 at the 2020 United States census. It is the county seat of Gallatin County. Geography Shawneetown is located southeast of the cent ...

before returning to

. He also served as member of the State House of Representatives 1840–1842 along with being a

Presidential elector In the United States, the Electoral College is the group of presidential electors that is formed every four years for the sole purpose of voting for the president and vice president in the presidential election. This process is described in ...

in 1844 for Whigs

Clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...

/ Frelinghuysen. Taylor 1899 : 255 He also served as clerk of the court of Clermont County 1846–1852. Clarke was elected as a Republican to the Thirty-ninth and Fortieth Congresses (March 4, 1865 – March 3, 1869). He also become the third auditor of the Treasury from March 26, 1869, to March 26, 1870. Eventually, he was appointed collector of internal revenue in Ohio.

Death

He died in Batavia, Ohio, May 23, 1872, where he was interred in the Union Cemetery.

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Reader Wright 1812 births 1872 deaths People from Bethel, Ohio Ohio Whigs 19th-century American newspaper editors Members of the Ohio House of Representatives 1844 United States presidential electors American male journalists 19th-century American male writers Journalists from Ohio People from Shawneetown, Illinois People from Batavia, Ohio Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Ohio General Assembly