Gov. Charles Clark

About

CHARLES CLARK, the twenty-fourth governor of Mississippi, was born near Cincinnati, Ohio on February 19, 1810. His education was attained at Augusta College, where he graduated in 1831. After moving to Mississippi, he taught school and studied law. Clark had a long and distinguished career in the military. He served during the Mexican War, as captain of the 2nd Regiment of Mississippi Volunteers and later was promoted to the rank of colonel. In 1861, he was appointed brigadier general in the Mississippi Army; he fought in several battles, was wounded, captured and later released. Clark first entered politics as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives, a position he held from 1838 to 1844 and 1856 to 1861. He also was a delegate to the 1851 Mississippi Constitutional Convention. Clark next secured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination and was elected governor by a popular vote on October 5, 1863. During his tenure, the ongoing war consumed all of his administration. The state capital was moved from Jackson to Macon to Columbus. Also, Union authorities arrested Governor Clark on May 22, 1865. After his release from Fort Pulaski, Clark returned to his legal practice in Bolivar County. In 1876, he secured an appointment to the bench as chancellor of the Fourth District, a position he held until his death on December 18, 1877. Governor Charles Clark was buried in the family graveyard in Bolivar County, Mississippi.

Source

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 2, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.

Mississippi Historical Society

Brig/General Benjamin G. Humphreys Camp

The Political Graveyard