Clark was born in
Southbury, Connecticut on November 29, 1815, the son of Reverend Daniel Atkinson Clark (1779-1840) and Eliza (Barker) Clark (1787-1864). In 1833 Clark graduated from
Williams College in
Williamstown, Massachusetts. He
studied law, was
admitted to the bar in 1837, and commenced practice in
New York City. In 1848 he married Maria Louisa Vanderbilt, the daughter of
Cornelius Vanderbilt, and they were the parents of a daughter, Mary Louise, wife of Clarence Lyman Collins, a Wall Street cotton broker (and mother of Edith Lyman Collins, who became the Polish Countess Czaykowski in 1897, and the French Marquise de Maleissye in 1911). Mary Louise Clark Collins died in 1894. As a result of his family connection to Vanderbilt, Clark became involved in several of Vanderbilt's business ventures, including shipping, banking, and railroads.
Tenure in Congress In 1856, Clark was elected to Congress as a
Democrat, and he was reelected in 1858 as an Anti-Lecompton Democrat. Clark served in the
Thirty-fifth and
Thirty-sixth Congresses (March 4, 1857 to March 3, 1861).
Later career Clark returned to his business interests after leaving Congress, and served as president of the Union Trust Company,
Union Pacific Railroad,
Michigan Southern Railroad, and other businesses. In addition, he served on the board of directors of
Western Union, and the
New York Central and
New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroads.
Death and burial He died in New York City on June 19, 1873, and was interred at
Woodlawn Cemetery in
Bronx,
New York. ==References==