Charles Clark (governor)

Charles Clark
24th Governor of Mississippi
In office November 16, 1863 – May 22, 1865
Preceded by	John Pettus
Succeeded by	William Sharkey
Member of the Mississippi House of Representatives
In office 1838–1844
In office 1856–1861
Personal details
Born	(1811-05-24)May 24, 1811 Cincinnati, Ohio
Died	December 18, 1877(1877-12-18) (aged 66) Bolivar County, Mississippi
Resting place	Bolivar County, Mississippi
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Ann Darden
Alma mater	Augusta College
Profession	Teacher, lawyer
Signature
Military service
Branch	United States Army Confederate States Army
Years of service	1847–1848 (U.S.) 1861–1863 (C.S.)
Rank	Colonel (U.S.) Brigadier-General (C.S.)
Commands	First Division, First Corps, Army of Mississippi
Battles	Mexican–American War American Civil War Battle of Shiloh (WIA) Battle of Baton Rouge (WIA) (POW)

Charles Clark (May 24, 1811 – December 18, 1877) was the 24th governor of Mississippi from 1863 to 1865.

Early life and education

Clark was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on May 24, 1811, and subsequently moved to Mississippi. He is the great-grandfather of Judge Charles Clark, who served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit from 1969 to 1992 and was the chair of the United States Judicial Conference.

In the late 1830s and early 1840s, Clark, a lawyer, represented a settler in a dispute with some Choctaw Native Americans over land in the Mississippi Delta. The dispute led to a series of lawsuits before the Mississippi Supreme Court. The settler ultimately prevailed and gave Clark a large tract of land between Beulah, Mississippi and the Mississippi River as his legal fee. In the late 1840s, Clark formed a plantation on the land, naming it Doe-Roe, pseudonyms commonly used in the legal profession to represent unnamed or unknown litigants (e.g., John Doe, Roe v. Wade). However, because of poor local literacy, the plantation became known by its phonic representation, Doro. According to archives at Delta State University, "The plantation grew to over 5,000 acres (20 km²) and became the most prosperous in the region, operating until 1913. It was prominent in the social, political and economic affairs of Bolivar County."^[1] He was also active in state politics, being elected as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives several times.

Military service

During the Mexican–American War, he served as a colonel of the 2nd Mississippi Regiment of Volunteers.^[2] Following the secession of Mississippi in early 1861, Clark was appointed as a brigadier general in the First Division, First Corps, a Mississippi Militia unit that later entered the Confederate States Army. He commanded the brigade at engagements in Kentucky and then a division under Leonidas Polk at the Battle of Shiloh, where he was slightly wounded. Clark led a division at the Battle of Baton Rouge, where he was severely wounded and captured. He spent time as a prisoner of war before being released. He was promoted to major general of Mississippi State Troops in 1863.

Governor of Mississippi

On November 16, 1863, Clark was inaugurated as governor of Mississippi, under Confederate auspices. He served in that capacity until June 13, 1865, when he was forcibly removed from office by the occupation forces of the United States Army and replaced by William L. Sharkey, a respected judge and staunch Unionist, who had been in total opposition to secession. Clark was briefly imprisoned at Fort Pulaski near Savannah, Georgia.

Clarke was ex officio President of the University of Mississippi Board of Trustees during his tenure as Governor of Mississippi. Despite losing the governorship, he remained on the Board for almost ten years after his term ended. In 1871, he purchased Routhland, an Antebellum mansion in Natchez, Mississippi.^[3]

Death

Clark died in Bolivar County, Mississippi, on December 18, 1877, and was buried at the family graveyard in that county.

See also

• List of Confederate generals
• List of governors of Mississippi
• List of heads of government who were later imprisoned

References

1. *Doro Plantation Archaeological Artifacts and Reports, Delta State University Archived 2012-02-07 at the Wayback Machine
2. Robert Sobel; John Raimo (1978). Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978, Vol. 2. Westport, CN: Meckler Books. p. 814. ISBN 978-0-930466-02-2. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
3. Steven Brooke, The Majesty of Natchez, Gretna, Louisiana: Pelican Publishing, pp. 52-53 [1]

Further reading

• Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, Civil War High Commands. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. ISBN 978-0-8047-3641-1.
• Sifakis, Stewart. Who Was Who in the Civil War. New York: Facts On File, 1988. ISBN 978-0-8160-1055-4.
• Warner, Ezra J. Generals in Gray: Lives of the Confederate Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959. ISBN 978-0-8071-0823-9.

External links

• Charles Clark at Find a Grave
• Charles Clark at The Political Graveyard