Clark was unusual politically in that he was a Federalist and a Presbyterian from New Castle County. The more typical Federalist was an Episcopalian or Methodist and from
Kent or
Sussex County. The more typical
Democratic-Republican was a Presbyterian from
New Castle County. Nevertheless, in 1816 he defeated the Federalist candidate, Manaen Bull of
Laurel in Sussex County and served as
Governor of Delaware from January 21, 1817, until January 18, 1820. As governor he was one of a succession advocating improvements in public education. Carol Hoffecker in
Democracy in Delaware relates how he "argued that Delaware had a special need to educate its people because the state lacked vacant land for an expanding population. Therefore, he said 'much reliance must be placed on the mental talents of our citizens for the support of our power and importance in the Union.'" The General Assembly responded by appropriating a laughable $1,000 to each county for this purpose. Furthermore, Delaware was stagnating. Medieval sounding punishments, like nailing ears to a pillory post, continued to be meted out in the penal system. The soil was increasingly exhausted and, due to the resulting out migration, Delaware's population in 1820 was roughly the same as in 1810. An immediate, and permanent, consequence was that it lost its second seat in the
U.S. House of Representatives. ==Death and legacy==