Bennett Champ Clark

American politician and judge (1890–1954)

Joel Bennett Clark (January 8, 1890 – July 13, 1954), better known as Bennett Champ Clark, was a Democratic United States senator from Missouri from 1933 until 1945, and was later a circuit judge of the District of Columbia Circuit . He was a leading isolationist in foreign policy.

During the Thirties, Clark opposed a number of New Deal measures such as tax reform, the NRA, and the AAA, and by 1937 had become (according to one historian) “one of the organizers of the conservative coalition in Congress.” Nevertheless, Clark identified himself with liberalism, and during his senate career publicly supported New Deal initiatives aimed at providing social security, promoting homebuilding, and improving working conditions.

Education and start of career

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Bennet and Genevieve Clark

Clark at the 1912 Democratic National Convention

Clark was born into a political family; his father was Champ Clark , who served as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives . His mother was Genevieve Davis (Bennett) Clark.

Clark's sister, Genevieve Clark Thomson was also active in politics as a women's suffrage activist.

Clark was born in Bowling Green , Missouri , and was raised and educated in Bowling Green and Washington, D.C.

He was a graduate of Washington, D.C.'s Eastern High School . Clark graduated from the University of Missouri in Columbia , Missouri with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1912 and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa . In 1914, he graduated from the George Washington University Law School with a Bachelor of Laws . In addition to Phi Beta Kappa, Clark's other academic affiliations included Order of the Coif , Delta Sigma Rho , Delta Tau Delta , and Phi Delta Phi .

Clark became parliamentarian of the United States House of Representatives in 1913, while still in law school. He served until 1917, when he resigned in order to join the United States Army for World War I . In 1916, he was chosen to serve as parliamentarian of that year's Democratic National Convention .

Military service

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Clark joined the United States Army in 1917, completed officer training at the First Officers' Training Camp held at Fort Myer , Virginia , and was commissioned as a captain . He was then elected lieutenant colonel and second in command of the 6th Missouri Infantry Regiment, a unit of the Missouri National Guard . This unit was subsequently called to federal service as the 140th Infantry Regiment , a unit of the 35th Division . After arriving in France, Clark served on the headquarters staffs of both the 35th and 88th Divisions . In March 1919, Clark was promoted to colonel while serving in the post-war Army that occupied Germany. Clark left active service in May 1919. He later rejoined the Missouri National Guard in 1921 as a major, serving on the staff of the adjutant general until 1928.

He was an organizer of the first American Legion convention in Paris , and was elected as the organization's first national commander. After leaving the Army in 1919, Clark maintained a lifelong active interest in the 35th Division Veterans Association, the American Legion, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars . From 1919 to 1922, Clark served as president of the National Guard Association of the United States .

Continued career

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In 1919, Clark began practicing law in St. Louis , Missouri. In the 1920s he

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