William Clark

Who was William Clark?

William Clark was a United States federal judge.

Clark was born on February 1, 1891 in Newark, New Jersey. His father, John William Clark, was president of the Clark Thread Company of Newark. His mother, Margaretta Cameron Clark, was the daughter of United States Senator J. Donald Cameron. He earned successive degrees at Harvard University, starting with a B.A. at the age of 20 in 1911, followed by an M.A. a year later, and finally an LL.B. from Harvard Law School in 1915. Two years later, when the United States entered World War I, he joined the U.S. Army, where he stayed until 1918.

Clark married Marjory Blair, daughter of investment banker C. Ledyard Blair, on September 20, 1913. Eight hundred guests were invited to the celebration at the Blairsden Mansion in Peapack-Gladstone, New Jersey, not far from the Clark family's own estate, Peachcroft. Their daughter Anne was born on July 18, 1914. Anne Clark Martindell would go on to serve in the New Jersey Senate and as United States Ambassador to New Zealand. Their son Ledyard Blair Clark was born on August 22, 1917 and would become a prominent journalist and Democratic Party activist.