James Paul Clarke | |
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| President pro tempore of the United States Senate | |
| In office March 13, 1913 – October 1, 1916 | |
| Preceded by | Jacob H. Gallinger |
| Succeeded by | Willard Saulsbury Jr. |
| United States Senator fromArkansas | |
| In office March 4, 1903 – October 1, 1916 | |
| Preceded by | James K. Jones |
| Succeeded by | William F. Kirby |
| 18th Governor of Arkansas | |
| In office January 18, 1895 – January 18, 1897 | |
| Preceded by | William Meade Fishback |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Webster Jones |
| Attorney General of Arkansas | |
| In office 1893–1895 | |
| Governor | William M. Fishback |
| Preceded by | William E. Atkinson |
| Succeeded by | E. B. Kinsworthy |
| Member of theArkansas Senate from the 14th district | |
| In office January 10, 1889 – January 9, 1893[1] | |
| Preceded by | George B. Peters[2] |
| Succeeded by | Henry N. Word[3] |
| Member of theArkansas House of Representatives from the Phillips County district | |
| In office January 10, 1887 – January 10, 1889[4] Serving with R. B. Macon,J. N. Donohoo[5] | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 18, 1854 Yazoo City, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | October 1, 1916(1916-10-01) (aged 62) Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Resting place | Oakland Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | James P. Clarke, Jr. Julia Clarke Marion Clarke |
| Relatives | Clarke Tucker (great-great-grandson) |
| Alma mater | University of Virginia |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
James Paul Clarke (August 18, 1854 – October 1, 1916) was an American lawyer and politician from theArkansas Delta during theProgressive Era. He served in public office over a period of almost 30 years, rising from theArkansas General Assembly toAttorney General of Arkansas and later18th governor ofArkansas, ending his career in theUnited States Senate. In a period ofDemocratic Party hegemony known as the "Solid South", Clarke blended positions of the buddingPopulist movement, such asfree silver and railroad regulation, withnationalism and his gifted skills as an orator to popularity and electoral success.
Clarke was born inYazoo City, Mississippi, in theMississippi Delta. His father Walter, anarchitect, died when Clarke was seven years old, and he was raised by his mother, Ellen (née White), daughter of a prominentplanter class family.[6] Clarke attended public schools as well as Tutwilder's Academy inGreenbrier, Alabama.[7] After briefly editing a newspaper in Yazoo City, Clarke graduated with a law degree at theUniversity of Virginia in 1878. Clarke wasadmitted to the bar in 1879, and settled briefly in the smallArkansas River Valley town ofOzark, Arkansas prior to moving toHelena, Arkansas in theArkansas Delta.[8]
Clarke married Sallie (née Moore) Wooten ofMoon Lake, Mississippi on November 10, 1883. Wooten had a son from previous marriage, Alonzo Stuart "Lonnie" Wooten; the couple had two daughters and a son.[9]
Eight years into his legal career, Clarke won election to theArkansas House of Representatives to representPhillips County in 1886. He was seated alongsideR. B. Macon andJ. N. Donohoo in the26th Arkansas General Assembly on January 10, 1887.[5] Following a single term in the Arkansas House, Clarke won election to theArkansas Senate.[9] Clarke represented the 14th District, which covered Phillips andLee counties beginning with the27th Arkansas General Assembly.[10] In 1891, he was electedPresident of the Arkansas Senate for the28th Arkansas General Assembly.[11]
He served asAttorney General of Arkansas and served from 1892 to 1894.
He served as Governor of Arkansas from 1895 to 1897.[12] Clarke was devoted to upholding American nationalism as the keystone of the Democratic Party. 'The people of the South,' he said in his closing speech of the election, 'looked to the Democratic party to preserve the white standards of civilization.' Clarke easily defeated his opponents."[6]
His term was largely unsuccessful and his legislation to end prizefighting and establish four-year terms for state officers failed. After leaving office in 1897, he moved his permanent residence toLittle Rock, Arkansas and practiced law.
Clarke was elected to theUnited States Senate in 1903 and served until his death in 1916.[13] He served asPresident pro tempore of the United States Senate during the Sixty-third and Sixty-fourth Congresses.
Clarke died in Little Rock, Arkansas. He is buried atOakland Cemetery in Little Rock. Despite an ineffective tenure as governor, Clarke and his successor, Daniel Jones, marked a departure in the conservative Democratic Party of Arkansas toward a more populist party.[14] They dealt with the electoral threat of a nascentPopulist party by incorporating some reforms into the Democratic platform, in conflict with the positions of national Democrats. Clarke is remembered for asilver tongue, short temper, and willingness to fight.
Clarke's statue was one of two statues that were presented by the State of Arkansas to theNational Statuary Hall Collection at theUnited States Capitol. In 2019 the decision was made to replace his statue, and that ofUriah Milton Rose, with statues ofJohnny Cash andDaisy Lee Gatson Bates. In the case of Clarke, the reason given is "his racist beliefs".[15] Clarke's great-great-grandson, State SenatorClarke Tucker, in a 2018 column strongly supported replacing Clarke's statue: "I strongly hope one of the new statues will be Daisy Bates or a member of theLittle Rock Nine."[16][17]
Media related toJames Paul Clarke at Wikimedia Commons| Party political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Arkansas 1894 | Succeeded by |
| First | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromArkansas (Class 3) 1914 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Arkansas 1895–1897 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | United States Senator (Class 3) from Arkansas 1903–1916 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President pro tempore of the United States Senate March 13, 1913 – October 1, 1916 | Succeeded by |
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| Interstate Commerce (1887–1947) | ||
| Interstate and Foreign Commerce/Commerce (1947–1977) | ||
| Commerce, Science, and Transportation (1977–present) | ||
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