William Bell Clark
Encyclopedia
William Bell Clark was an advertising executive and self-taught naval historian, specializing in the period of the American Revolution
, 1775-1783.
, William Bell Clark was the son of William Patterson Bell and Kate Stees Bell. He graduated from Harrisburg Technical School (Pennsylvania) in 1907 and married Grace Mildred Wrigley on 5 November 1915, with whom he had two sons: William Bell Clark, Jr., and Donald Wrigley Clark.
and joined the N. W. Ayer & Son Advertising Agency, rising to be vice president in 1939 and later, president.
Although his first book was on military history, his work with the Pennsylvania War Commission from 1919 sparked his initial interest in naval affairs. He wrote several biographies of American naval captains, including John Barry (1745-1803), Nicholas Biddle (naval officer)
, Lambert Wickes
, and John Young (naval officer)
during the American Revolution, which were published by prominent academic presses, such as the Yale University Press
and Louisiana State University Press
. In the process of this research and writing, Clark developed a deep knowledge of the archival resources for this general period in naval history and made numerous careful transcripts of documents. As a result of this in the late 1950s, Clark's work came to the attention of the Director of Naval History, Rear Admiral Ernest M. Eller
at the Naval History Division of the Navy Department (now the Naval Historical Center
) and the head of the Early History Branch in that office, Dr. William J. Morgan. With the advice of the Secretary of the Navy's advisory sub-committee on naval history, Clark was appointed the first editor of the U.S. Navy's multi-volume documentary series on Naval Documents of the American Revolution, assisted by Morgan and his staff in the Early History Branch. Clark died while the fourth volume was in the course of publication, but left rough drafts for the first ten volumes. He was succeeded as editor and his work continued by Dr. [[William J. Morgan (historian)]], who in turn was succeeded by Dr. [[William S. Dudley]], and then by Dr. [[Michael J. Crawford]].
A Republican and a Presbyterian, Clark was also a member of the [[Naval Historical Foundation]], the [[Historical Society of Pennsylvania]], the [[Pennsylvania Genealogical Society]], and served as vice president of the Illinois chapter of the [[Sons of the American Revolution]]. Clark's personal small 170 document collection of original manuscript material, the bulk relating to the 1770-1794 period, with some documents as late as 1950, is in the Manuscript Division at the [[Library of Congress]].
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, 1775-1783.
Early life and education
Born in Mechanicsburg, PennsylvaniaMechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
Mechanicsburg is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, USA, eight miles west of Harrisburg. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. Mechanicsburg was settled in 1806 and incorporated as a borough on April 12, 1828...
, William Bell Clark was the son of William Patterson Bell and Kate Stees Bell. He graduated from Harrisburg Technical School (Pennsylvania) in 1907 and married Grace Mildred Wrigley on 5 November 1915, with whom he had two sons: William Bell Clark, Jr., and Donald Wrigley Clark.
Professional and writing career
From 1907 to 1919, he worked in the newspaper business in Harrisburg and Philadelphia. He served as Assistant Secretary of the Pennsylvania War History Commission, 1919-1921. In 1921, he moved to Evanston, IllinoisEvanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
and joined the N. W. Ayer & Son Advertising Agency, rising to be vice president in 1939 and later, president.
Although his first book was on military history, his work with the Pennsylvania War Commission from 1919 sparked his initial interest in naval affairs. He wrote several biographies of American naval captains, including John Barry (1745-1803), Nicholas Biddle (naval officer)
Nicholas Biddle (naval officer)
Nicholas Biddle was one of the first five captains of the Continental Navy, which was raised by the Americans during the American Revolutionary War.-Early life:Nicholas Biddle was born in Philadelphia....
, Lambert Wickes
Lambert Wickes
Lambert Wickes was a Captain in the Continental Navy.-Revolutionary activities:Wickes was born sometime in 1735 in Kent County, Maryland. His home was on Eastern Neck Island, in the family home, Wickcliffe. Prior to the American Revolution, Wickes was captain of the merchant ships the Neptune and...
, and John Young (naval officer)
John Young (naval officer)
John Young was a captain in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War, commander of the which was lost at sea....
during the American Revolution, which were published by prominent academic presses, such as the Yale University Press
Yale University Press
Yale University Press is a book publisher founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day. It became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but remains financially and operationally autonomous....
and Louisiana State University Press
Louisiana State University Press
The Louisiana State University Press is a nonprofit book publisher and an academic unit of Louisiana State University. Founded in 1935, the press publishes scholarly, general interest, and regional books as part of the university’s mission to disseminate knowledge and culture...
. In the process of this research and writing, Clark developed a deep knowledge of the archival resources for this general period in naval history and made numerous careful transcripts of documents. As a result of this in the late 1950s, Clark's work came to the attention of the Director of Naval History, Rear Admiral Ernest M. Eller
Ernest M. Eller
Ernest McNeill Eller was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy, who served as Director of Naval History, Naval History Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations from 1956 to 1970.-Early Life and education:...
at the Naval History Division of the Navy Department (now the Naval Historical Center
Naval Historical Center
The Naval History & Heritage Command is the official history program of the United States Navy and is located at the historic Washington Navy Yard in the District of Columbia.-Mission :...
) and the head of the Early History Branch in that office, Dr. William J. Morgan. With the advice of the Secretary of the Navy's advisory sub-committee on naval history, Clark was appointed the first editor of the U.S. Navy's multi-volume documentary series on Naval Documents of the American Revolution, assisted by Morgan and his staff in the Early History Branch. Clark died while the fourth volume was in the course of publication, but left rough drafts for the first ten volumes. He was succeeded as editor and his work continued by Dr. [[William J. Morgan (historian)]], who in turn was succeeded by Dr. [[William S. Dudley]], and then by Dr. [[Michael J. Crawford]].
A Republican and a Presbyterian, Clark was also a member of the [[Naval Historical Foundation]], the [[Historical Society of Pennsylvania]], the [[Pennsylvania Genealogical Society]], and served as vice president of the Illinois chapter of the [[Sons of the American Revolution]]. Clark's personal small 170 document collection of original manuscript material, the bulk relating to the 1770-1794 period, with some documents as late as 1950, is in the Manuscript Division at the [[Library of Congress]].
Published works
- The History of the 79th Division, A.E.F. (1922)
- When the u-boats came to America (1929, 2005)
- Lambert Wickes, sea raider and diplomat; the story of a naval captain of the revolution (1932)
- Gallant John Barry, 1745-1803; the story of a naval hero of two wars (1938)
- Captain Dauntless, the story of Nicholas Biddle of the Continental Navy (1949)
- The first Saratoga; being the saga of John Young and his sloop-of-war (1953)
- Ben Franklin’s privateers; a naval epic of the American Revolution (1956, 1969)
- George Washington’s Navy; being an account of His Excellency’s fleet in New England waters (1960)
- Naval documents of the American Revolution edited by William Bell Clark; with a foreword by President John F. Kennedy and an introd. by Ernest McNeill Eller, vol 1 (1964) - Vol 4 (1969).