William A. Clark

For other people named William Clark, seeWilliam Clark (disambiguation).

William Clark
United States Senator fromMontana
In office March 4, 1901 – March 3, 1907
Preceded by	Thomas H. Carter
Succeeded by	Joseph M. Dixon
In office March 4, 1899 – May 15, 1900
Preceded by	Lee Mantle
Succeeded by	Paris Gibson
Personal details
Born	William Andrews Clark (1839-01-08)January 8, 1839 Connellsville, Pennsylvania,U.S.
Died	March 2, 1925(1925-03-02)(aged 86) New York City,U.S.
Resting place	Woodlawn Cemetery
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Katherine Stauffer ​ ​ (m.1869; died 1893)​ Anna La Chapelle ​ (m.1901)​
Children	9, includingCharles,William,Huguette
Education	Iowa Wesleyan University
Signature

William Andrews Clark Sr.(January 8, 1839 – March 2, 1925) was an American entrepreneur, involved withmining,banking,andrailroads,as well as a politician.

Biography

Clark buying a newspaper, c. 1906

Clark was born inConnellsville, Pennsylvania.He moved with his family toIowain 1856 where he taught school and studied law atIowa Wesleyan College.In 1862, he traveled west to become a miner.After working in quartz mines in Colorado, in 1863 Clark made his way to new gold fields to find his fortune in theMontanagold rush.

He settled in the capital ofMontana Territory,Bannack, Montana,and beganplacer mining.Though his claim paid only moderately, Clark invested his earnings in becoming a trader, driving mules back and forth betweenSalt Lake Cityand theboomtownsof Montana to transport eggs and other basic supplies.

He soon changed careers again and became a banker inDeer Lodge, Montana.He repossessed mining properties when owners defaulted on their loans, placing him in the mining industry. He made a fortune with copper mining, smallsmelters,electric power companies, newspapers, railroads (trolley lines around Butte and theSan Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake RailroadfromSalt Lake City,UtahtoSan PedroandLos Angeles,California), and other businesses, becoming known as one of three "Copper Kings"ofButte, Montana,along withMarcus DalyandF. Augustus Heinze.

The November 1903 Congressional Directory notes that Clark "was a major of a battalion that pursuedChief Josephand his band in theNez Perces invasionof 1877. "

Between 1884 and 1888, Clark constructed a 34-room, Tiffany-decorated home on West Granite Street, incorporating the most modern inventions available, inButte, Montana.This home is now theCopper King Mansionbed-and-breakfast, as well as a museum.In 1899, Clark builtColumbia Gardens (amusement park)for the children of Butte. It included flower gardens, a dance pavilion, an amusement park, a lake, and picnic areas. An evening scene between characters Arline Simms (played byAnne Francis) andBuz Murdock(played byGeorge Maharis) from theRoute 66television series 1961 episode "A Month of Sundays" was shot on location at Columbia Gardens where she emotionally falls into his arms on the grand staircase. Clark later built a much larger and more extravagant 121-room mansion onFifth Avenuein New York City, theWilliam A. Clark House.

He died on March 2, 1925, and is interred inWoodlawn Cemeteryinthe Bronx,New York City.

Political career

Political cartoon depicting Clark bribing state legislators, October 1900

Clark served as president of bothMontanastate constitutional conventions in 1884 and 1889.

Clark yearned to be a statesman and used his newspaper, theButte Miner,to push his political ambitions. At this time, Butte was one of the largest cities in the West. He became a hero inHelena, Montana,by campaigning for its selection as thestate capitalinstead ofAnaconda.This battle for the placement of the capital had subtle Irish vs. English, Catholic vs. Protestant, and non-Masonic vs. Masonic elements.

Clark's long-standing dream of becoming aUnited States senatorresulted in scandal in 1899 when it was revealed that he bribed members of theMontana State Legislaturein return for their votes. At the time, U.S. senators were chosen by their respective state legislatures. The corruption of his election contributed to the passage of theSeventeenth Amendment.The U.S. Senate refused to seat Clark because of the 1899 bribery scheme, but a later senate campaign was successful, and he served a single term from 1901 until 1907.In responding to criticism of his bribery of the Montana legislature, Clark is reported to have said, "I never bought a man who wasn't for sale."

Clark died at the age of 86 in his New York City mansion. His estate at his death was estimated to be worth $300 million, (equivalent to $4.15 billion in 2023),making him one of the wealthiest Americans ever.

In a 1907 essay,Mark Twain,who was a close friend of Clark's rival,Henry H. Rogers,an organizer of theAmalgamated Copper Mining Company,portrayed Clark as the very embodiment ofGilded Ageexcess and corruption:

He is as rotten a human being as can be found anywhere under the flag; he is a shame to the American nation, and no one has helped to send him to the Senate who did not know that his proper place was the penitentiary, with a ball and chain on his legs. To my mind he is the most disgusting creature that the republic has produced since Tweed's time.

Family

Clark with his daughters Andrée (left) andHuguette(right), c. 1917

Clark in November 1920 with his daughter, Huguette, donating 135 acres to the Girl Scouts after the death of his daughter Andrée, which was namedCamp Andree Clark

Clark was married twice. His first marriage was to Katherine Louise "Kate" Stauffer in 1869 until her death in 1893.

Together, they had seven children,includingCharles Walker ClarkandWilliam Andrews Clark Jr.

After Kate's death in 1893, William married his second wife, the woman who had been his teenage ward, Anna Eugenia La Chapelle (March 10, 1878, Michigan – October 11, 1963, New York). They claimed to have been married in 1901 in France. Anna was 23 and William was 62.They had two children:

• Louise Amelia Andrée Clark (August 13, 1902,Spain– August 6, 1919,Rangeley, Maine)
• Huguette Marcelle Clark(June 9, 1906,Paris, France– May 24, 2011, New York City)

In early 1946, Anna commissioned thePaganini Quartet,and acquired the four famous Stradivarius instruments once owned byNiccolo Paganinifor their use.

Clark donated 135 acres to theGirl Scoutsin honor of his elder daughter (by his second wife), Louise Amelia Andrée (who died at age 16 ofmeningitis), who had been very happy there. The Girl Scout camp inBriarcliff Manorwas namedCamp Andree Clark.

William Andrews Clark Jr.

Main article:William Andrews Clark Jr.

Clark's son, William Andrews Clark Jr., founder of theLos Angeles Philharmonicin 1919, left his library of rare books and manuscripts to the regents of theUniversity of California, Los Angeles.Today, theWilliam Andrews Clark Memorial Libraryspecializes in English literature and history from 1641 to 1800, materials related toOscar Wildeand his associates, and fineprinting.

Huguette Marcelle Clark

Main article:Huguette Clark

Huguette (pronouncedoo-GETT), born inParis, Francein June 1906, was the youngest child of Clark with his second wife, Anna Eugenia La Chapelle. She married once but divorced less than a year later. She led areclusivelife thereafter, seldom communicating with the public nor with her extended family. For many years, she lived in three combined apartments, with a total of 42 rooms, on New York's Fifth Avenue at 72nd Street, overlookingCentral Park.In 1991, she moved out and for the remainder of her life lived in various New York City hospitals.

In February 2010, she became the subject of a series of reports onMSNBCafter it was reported that the caretakers of her three residences (including a $24 million estate inConnecticut,a sprawling seaside estate inSanta Barbara, Californiaand her Fifth Avenue apartments valued at $100 million) had not seen her in decades. These articles were the basis for the 2013 bestselling bookEmpty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune.by investigative reporterBill Dedmanand Paul Clark Newell, Jr.

Her final residence wasBeth Israel Medical Center,where she died on the morning of May 24, 2011, age 104.Huguette's extraordinary collection of arts and antiquities were consigned to go on the auction block at Christie's in June 2014, over three years after her death.

Walter Clark

Clark's nephew, Walter Miller Clark, son of James Ross and Miriam Augusta (Evans) Clark, along with Walter's wife, Virginia (McDowell) Clark, were passengers on theRMSTitanic.They were on their honeymoon. He was among the 1,514 who died on April 15, 1912, after the ship struck an iceberg at 2:20 a.m. Walter's wife, Virginia, was rescued by theRMSCarpathia,and arrived in New York City a widow.

Some of Mr. Clark's personal items were retrieved in the debris field during an expedition to the site of the sinking in 1994. They were identified by engraved initials. They included shaving soap, toiletry items, cuff links, and gambling chips.

Legacy

Clark's art collection was donated to theCorcoran Galleryin Washington, D.C. after his death, greatly enriching that museum's holdings of European as well as American art. The Clark donation also included the construction of a new wing for the Corcoran, known appropriately as the Clark Wing.

Clark County, Nevada

The city ofLas Vegaswas established as a maintenance stop for Clark'sSan Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad.He subdivided 110 acres (45 ha) into 1200 lots, some of which on the corner of Fremont Street in Las Vegas sold for as much as $1750. The Las Vegas area was organized asClark County, Nevada,in Clark's honor. Clark's involvement in the founding of Las Vegas is recounted in a decidedly negative light byChris Romanoin the "Las Vegas" episode ofComedy Central'sDrunk History,withRich Fulcherportraying Clark.

Clarkdale, Arizona

Clarkdale, Arizona,named for Clark, was the site of smelting operations for Clark's mines in nearbyJerome, Arizona.The town includes the historic Clark Mansion, which sustained severe fire damage on June 25, 2010. Clarkdale is home to the Verde Canyon Railroad wilderness train ride which follows the historic route that Clark had constructed in 1911 and home to the Copper Art Museum.

See also

• Andree Clark Bird Refuge,Santa Barbara, California
• Atlantic Cable Quartz Lode
• List of historic properties in Clarkdale, Arizona
• Mary Andrews Clark Memorial Home– a landmark Los Angeles home for women built by Clark as a memorial for his mother

Sources

• Dedman, Bill; Newell, Paul Clark Jr. (2013),Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune,New York: Ballantine Books,ISBN978-0-345-53452-1
• NBCNews.com: Huguette Clark, the reclusive heiress, and the men managing her money, an NBCNews.com special report

• United States Congress."William A. Clark (id: C000454)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Hopkins, A.D.; Evans, K.J. (2000),The First 100,Las Vegas: Huntington Press,ISBN0-929712-67-6
• Mangam, William (1941),The Clarks An American Phenomenon,New York, NY: Silver Bow Press,OCLC390214

External links

• NBCNews.com: Huguette Clark, the reclusive heiress, and the men managing her money, an NBCNews.com special report
• Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune
• Biographical Sketch
• William A. ClarkatFind a Grave