Walter Clark (jurist)

Walter McKenzie Clark (1846-1924) was a North Carolina politician and jurist who served as an associate justice (1889-1903) and chief justice (1903-1924) of the North Carolina Supreme Court.

Born in Halifax County, North Carolina, Clark served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War before enrolling at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After graduating first in his class in 1864, he returned to the war. In the 1870s, Clark moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, practiced law, and wrote books on law and history. Clark was married on 27 Jan. 1875 to Susan Washington Graham, daughter of William Alexander Graham.

In April 1885, Governor Alfred M. Scales appointed Clark a judge of the superior court, and in 1889, Gov. Daniel G. Fowle elevated him to the state Supreme Court. He was elected to the Supreme Court in 1890, and in 1894, was re-elected with the support of not only his own Democratic Party, but also that of the Republicans and Populists.

Clark was elected chief justice in 1902 and re-elected several times. In 1912, he unsuccessfully ran for the United States Senate as a liberal reformer against fellow Democrat Furnifold Simmons. Clark died in office in 1924.

References

* [http://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/clarkw/bio.html Dictionary of North Carolina Biography]
* [http://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=56337 OurCampaigns.com biography]
* [http://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/manual/manual.html#p246 North Carolina Manual of 1913]
* [http://www.ncmarkers.com/Markers.aspx?sp=Markers&sv=E-43 North Carolina Historical Marker]
* [http://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/clark13/clark13.html Address by Chief Justice Walter Clark Before the Federation of Women's Clubs, New Bern, N. C., 8 May, 1913]

External links

*Gutenberg author|id=Walter_Clark_(1846-1924)|name=Walter Clark
*Worldcat id|id=lccn-n80-90208|name=Walter Clark