(Redirected from William A. Clark)
'William Andrews Clark, Sr.' (
January 8,
1839–
March 2,
1925) was an American politician and entrepreneur, involved with mining, banking and railroads.
Biography
Clark was born in
Connellsville,
Pennsylvania. He moved with his family to
Iowa in 1856 where he taught school and studied law at
Iowa Wesleyan College. After working in quartz mines in Colorado, in 1863, Clark made his way to
Montana to find his fortune in the
gold rush.
He settled in the
capital of
Montana Territory,
Bannack, Montana, and began
placer mining. Though his claim paid only moderately, Clark invested his earnings in becoming a trader, driving mules back and forth between
Salt Lake City and the
boomtowns of
Montana to transport eggs and other basic supplies.
He soon changed careers again and became a banker in
Deer Lodge, Montana. He repossessed mining properties when owners defaulted on their loans, placing him in the mining industry. He made a fortune with small
smelters,
electric power companies,
newspapers,
railroads and other businesses, becoming known as one of three "
Copper Kings" of
Butte, Montana, along with
Marcus Daly and
F. Augustus Heinze. Between 1884 and 1888, Clark constructed a 34-room, Tiffany-decorated, multimillion dollar home with cutting-edge technology in
Butte, Montana. This home is now the
Copper King Mansion bed-and-breakfast and
museum.
Clark served as president of both
Montana state constitutional conventions in 1884 and 1889.
Clark yearned to be a statesman and used his newspaper, the ''Butte Miner'', to push his political ambitions. He became a hero in
Helena, Montana, by campaigning for its election as the
state capital instead of
Anaconda. Clark's long-standing dream of becoming a
United States Senator resulted in scandal in 1899 when it was revealed that he bribed members of the
Montana State Legislature in return for their votes. At the time, U.S. Senators were chosen by their respective state legislators. 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, undistinguished term from 1901 until 1907.
Legacy
Clark County, Nevada, and art collection
Clark died at the age of 86 in his mansion on
Fifth Avenue in
New York City, one of the 50 richest Americans ever. His art collection was donated to the
Corcoran Gallery in 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.
The city of
Las Vegas was established as a maintenance stop for Clark's
Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad. The Las Vegas area was organized as
Clark County, Nevada, in Clark's honor.
William Andrews Clark, Jr.
Clark's son,
William Andrews Clark, Jr., founder of the
Los Angeles Philharmonic, left his library of rare books and manuscripts to the regents of the
University of California, Los Angeles. Today, the
William Andrews Clark Memorial Library specializes in English literature and history from 1641 to 1800, materials related to
Oscar Wilde and his associates, and fine
printing.
References
★
Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, William Andrews Clark
★
The First 100, , A.D., Hopkins, Huntington Press, 2000,
★
The Wealthy 100: From Benjamin Franklin to Bill Gates- A Ranking of the Richest Americans, Past and Presen, , Michael, Klepper, Carol Publishing Group, 1996,
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