John Sleeper Clarke

Who was John Sleeper Clarke?

John Sleeper Clarke, 19th century American comedian and actor, was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and was educated for the law. In his boyhood he was a schoolmate of Edwin Booth who was born in the same year as he, and with whom he engaged in amateur dramatic readings as members of the Baltimore Thespian Club.

He made his first appearance in Boston as Frank Hardy in Paul Pry in 1851, at the Howard Athenæum. The next year he went to Philadelphia. Clarke's first appearance in New York was made at the Metropolitan Theatre, - afterward called the Winter Garden, - on May 15, 1855, as Dickory, in "The Spectre Bridegroom", but it was not until he became again, in 1861-'62, to the same theatre that he made a conspicuous mark. In 1859 he became part of the Booth family when he married Asia Booth, daughter of Junius Brutus Booth, and eldest sister of John Wilkes Booth. Clarke was associated with his brother-in-law Edwin Booth in the management of the Winter Garden theatre in New York, the Walnut Street theatre in Philadelphia and the Boston theatre.

Following the assassination of US president Abraham Lincoln, Clarke came into the possession of two letters, from his wife, written by his brother-in-law, John Wilkes Booth. He turned them over to the Philadelphia Inquirer who printed one of the two letters. His actions led to his arrest and imprisonment in the Capitol Prison in Washington D.C. for a month. Once released, he notified his pregnant wife that they must divorce. He wanted to distance himself professionally from the name of Booth. Eventually they stayed married and she bore him twin boys, Creston and Wilfred who became actors, in August 1865. Although still married, they were married in name only as Clarke sought the life of a bachelor, "..He lives a free going bachelor life and does what he likes.." wrote Asia to her brother Edwin. His wife Asia died 16 May 1888, age 52.