John Clark (Georgia governor)
American politician
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John Clark (sometimes spelled Clarke) (February 28, 1766 – October 12, 1832) was an American planter, politician, and slaveholder. He was the 31st Governor of the U.S. state of Georgia, from 1819 to 1823. As governor, he prevailed in the U.S. Supreme Court case Ex parte Madrazzo, a dispute over whether a claim of ownership of a group of enslaved people could be enforced against the state. He also advocated for presidential electors to be elected by popular vote as seen in many of his bills, culminating in the 1824 Georgia Popular Vote Referendum.
John Clark | |
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| 31st Governor of Georgia | |
| In office November 5, 1819 – November 7, 1823 | |
| Preceded by | Matthew Talbot |
| Succeeded by | George Troup |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 28, 1766 |
| Died | October 12, 1832 (aged 66) St. Andrews Bay, Florida, US |
| Resting place | St. Andrews Bay, relocated to Marietta National Cemetery |
| Party | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouse | Nancy Clark |
| Relatives | Elijah Clarke (father), Edward Clark (nephew) |
| Occupation | Planter, politician |
Early life
Clark was born in 1766 in Edgecombe County, North Carolina. Along with his father, Elijah Clarke, Clark fought in the American Revolutionary War at the Battle of Kettle Creek and served in the Georgia militia.
He moved to Wilkes County, Georgia, in the early 1770s. He became a major general in 1796.
Political career
Clark served as a presidential elector in the 1816 presidential election.[1] He served in the Georgia House of Representatives before he was elected to consecutive two-year terms as the 31st Governor, from 1819 to 1823. During his term, he successfully defended states' rights in a US Supreme Court case, Ex parte Madrazzo, over a Spanish citizen who claimed that he owned some of Clark's slaves.
Personal life
Clark resided at Woodville, a plantation in Milledgeville, Georgia.[2] He was married to Nancy Williamson, the daughter of Col. Micahah Williamson (1744-1796) and Sarah Gilliam.
Death and legacy
Clark died of yellow fever in St. Andrews (Florida) a.k.a. Old Town, in 1832 in what was then Washington County (now Bay County) and was buried in that same city; however, his grave was relocated to Marietta National Cemetery in Georgia in 1923 by the Georgia State Society Daughters of the American Revolution.
Clarkesville, Georgia[3] and Clarke County, Alabama are named after him.[4][5]