John Bullock Clark, Sr. (April 17, 1802 – October 29, 1885) was a member of both the
United States CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
and the Confederate Congress.
Biography
Clark was born in
Madison County, KentuckyMadison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2008, the population was 82,192. Its county seat is Richmond. The county is named for Virginia statesman James Madison, who later became the fourth President of the United States. This is also where famous pioneer Daniel...
, a nephew of Congressmen
Christopher Henderson ClarkChristopher Henderson Clark was an eighteenth and nineteenth century congressman and lawyer from Virginia. He was the brother of James Clark, the uncle of John Bullock Clark, Sr...
and
James ClarkJames Clark may refer to:* James Clark , Ambassador from the United Kingdom to Luxembourg* James Clark , Governor of Kentucky from 1836 to 1839* James Clark , Mayor of Auckland...
. He attended the country schools, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1824. Establishing a law practice in
Fayette, MissouriFayette is a city in Howard County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,793 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Howard County. It is in the Columbia, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, he served as clerk of the
Howard County courts from 1824 until 1834. Clark was commissioned
colonelIn the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
of Missouri Mounted Volunteers during the
Black Hawk WarThe Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River into the U.S....
in 1832, and was selected to command Missouri state forces during the Missouri Mormon War. Governor
Lilburn BoggsLilburn Williams Boggs 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 by Mormons as the "Extermination Order", issued in response to the ongoing conflict...
addressed his infamous
Extermination OrderAn Extermination order is an order given by a government sanctioning mass removal or death. The term is often associated with genocide.Extermination orders were issued in conjunction with the following events:* Armenian genocide...
to Clark, directing that the
MormonThe term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
s be "exterminated, or driven from the state." He was promoted to
major generalIn the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
of the state
militiaThe term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
in 1848.
Entering politics, Clark was a member of the State house of representatives in 1850 and 1851. He was appointed as a
DemocratThe Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the Thirty-fifth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of
James S. GreenJames Stephen Green was a United States Representative and Senator from Missouri.-Early life and education:...
. He was reelected 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
UnionDuring the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
. He was replaced by
William Augustus HallWilliam Augustus Hall was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives. He is the brother of Governor and Representative Willard Preble Hall and also the father of Representative Uriel Sebree Hall....
.
Clark served as a Senator from Missouri in the
First Confederate CongressThe First Confederate Congress was the first regular term of the legislature of the Confederate States of America. Members of the First Confederate Congress were chosen in elections mostly held on 6 November 1861.-Sessions:...
and a Representative in the
Second Confederate CongressThe Second Confederate Congress was the second and last regular term of the legislature of the Confederate States of America. Members of the Second Confederate Congress were chosen in elections held at various dates in 1863 and 1864...
. He also served in the field as a
brigadier generalA brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
in the
Missouri State GuardThe Missouri State Guard was a state militia organized in the state of Missouri during the early days of the American Civil War. While not initially a formal part of the Confederate States Army, the State Guard fought alongside Confederate troops and, at times, under regular Confederate...
.
After the war, he practiced law until his death in
Fayette, MissouriFayette is a city in Howard County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,793 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Howard County. It is in the Columbia, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. He was buried in Fayette Cemetery.
His son,
John Bullock Clark, Jr.John Bullock Clark, Jr. was a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and a postbellum five-term U.S. Congressman from Missouri.-Biography:...
served as a general in the
Confederate States ArmyThe Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
as well as a postbellum U.S. Congressman.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals
- Extermination order
An Extermination order is an order given by a government sanctioning mass removal or death. The term is often associated with genocide.Extermination orders were issued in conjunction with the following events:* Armenian genocide...