Alexander Clark
Encyclopedia
Alexander Clark was an African-American diplomat
who served as United States Ambassador to Liberia
. He was born in 1826 in Pennsylvania to parents who had been freed from slavery
. Clark is most famous for suing to allow his Afro-American daughter to attend public school in Iowa
.
When Clark was around 13, his family moved to Cincinnati
, Ohio
for his education and to learn the barbering trade. In 1842 Clark arrived in Muscatine, Iowa
where he spent most of the rest of his life. He worked as a barber, orator, entrepreneur, newspaper editor for The Conservator (which he published in Chicago in partnership with Ferdinand L. Barnett), and as a lawyer. He was very involved in civil rights for the state of Iowa and was involved on a national level.
In 1867 Clark sent his daughter Susan to a local school in Muscatine, where she was refused admittance due to her race. Muscatine had separate schools
for blacks, however these schools were not located near where the black children lived, making it difficult to attend and the quality of the instructors was lacking as well. Clark took his fight all the way to the Iowa Supreme Court
where he won a ruling based on the Iowa Constitution of 1857 which states that the board of education
is required to "provide for the education of all the youths of the State, through a system of common schools. Requiring black students to attend a separate school violated the law which "expressly gives the same rights to all the youths."
Clark's son Alexander Jr. became the first black to graduate from the University of Iowa College of Law
. Clark himself became the second.
Clark died in Liberia
in 1891 where he was serving as the appointed U.S. Minister to Liberia. The appointment by President Benjamin Harrison
was one of the highest appointments of a black by a U.S. President up to that point. Harrison also appointed Clark's friend Frederick Douglass
as U.S. Minister to Haiti
, a post Clark had declined earlier when it was offered by President Ulysses S. Grant
.
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
who served as United States Ambassador to Liberia
United States Ambassador to Liberia
This is a record of Ambassadors of the United States to Liberia.Liberia, as a nation, had its beginnings in 1821 when groups of free blacks from the United States emigrated from the U.S. and began establishing colonies on the coast under the direction of the American Colonization Society...
. He was born in 1826 in Pennsylvania to parents who had been freed from slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
. Clark is most famous for suing to allow his Afro-American daughter to attend public school in Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
.
When Clark was around 13, his family moved to Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
for his education and to learn the barbering trade. In 1842 Clark arrived in Muscatine, Iowa
Muscatine, Iowa
Muscatine is a city in Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. The population was 22,886 in the 2010 census, an increase from 22,697 in the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Muscatine County...
where he spent most of the rest of his life. He worked as a barber, orator, entrepreneur, newspaper editor for The Conservator (which he published in Chicago in partnership with Ferdinand L. Barnett), and as a lawyer. He was very involved in civil rights for the state of Iowa and was involved on a national level.
In 1867 Clark sent his daughter Susan to a local school in Muscatine, where she was refused admittance due to her race. Muscatine had separate schools
Racial segregation in the United States
Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation or hypersegregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines...
for blacks, however these schools were not located near where the black children lived, making it difficult to attend and the quality of the instructors was lacking as well. Clark took his fight all the way to the Iowa Supreme Court
Iowa Supreme Court
The Iowa Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Iowa. As constitutional head of the Iowa Judicial Branch, the Court is composed of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices....
where he won a ruling based on the Iowa Constitution of 1857 which states that the board of education
Board of education
A board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or higher administrative level....
is required to "provide for the education of all the youths of the State, through a system of common schools. Requiring black students to attend a separate school violated the law which "expressly gives the same rights to all the youths."
Clark's son Alexander Jr. became the first black to graduate from the University of Iowa College of Law
University of Iowa College of Law
The University of Iowa College of Law is one of the eleven professional graduate schools at the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. Founded in 1865, it is the oldest law school in continuous operation west of the Mississippi River. The law school was ranked as the 27th best law school...
. Clark himself became the second.
Clark died in Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
in 1891 where he was serving as the appointed U.S. Minister to Liberia. The appointment by President Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd President of the United States . Harrison, a grandson of President William Henry Harrison, was born in North Bend, Ohio, and moved to Indianapolis, Indiana at age 21, eventually becoming a prominent politician there...
was one of the highest appointments of a black by a U.S. President up to that point. Harrison also appointed Clark's friend Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...
as U.S. Minister to Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, a post Clark had declined earlier when it was offered by President Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
.