John Clark (Georgia governor)


John Clark was an American planter and politician.

Early life

Clark was born in 1766 in Edgecombe County, North Carolina. Along with his father, Elijah Clarke, Clark fought in the American Revolutionary War at the Battle of Kettle Creek and served in the Georgia militia.
He moved to Wilkes County, Georgia, in the early 1770s. He became a major general in 1796.

Political career

Clark served in the Georgia House of Representatives prior to being elected to consecutive two-year terms as the 31st Governor, from 1819 to 1823. During his term, he successfully defended states' rights in a US Supreme Court, Ex parte Madrazzo, over a Spanish citizen who claimed that he owned some of Clark's slaves.

Personal life

Clark resided at Woodville, a plantation in Milledgeville, Georgia. He was married to Nancy Clark.

Death and legacy

Clark died of yellow fever in St. Andrews Bay in 1832 in what was then Washington County and was buried in that same city; however, his grave was relocated to Marietta National Cemetery in Georgia in 1923 by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Clarkesville, Georgia and Clarke County, Alabama are named after him.