Born in Shelby County, Indiana, October 24, 1852. His father, John Clarke, was born in Warren County, Ohio, and his mother, Eliza J. Akers, was born in Floyd County, Indiana. They removed from Shelby County, Indiana, to Davis County, Iowa, in 1856, and settled on a farm near Drakeville. Here also lived with them and worked on the farm their son until he was twenty-two years of age. In the winter he had taught school in the country and in Drakeville and later he taught in Bloomfield. He acquired his education at Oskaloosa College, Oskaloosa, Iowa, from which institution he was graduated in 1877. Immediately after, he entered the law office of Lafferty & Johnson, at Oskaloosa. After studying there for a time he entered the law department of the State University of Iowa and was graduated in 1878. In the same year he came to Adel, in Dallas County, Iowa, was married to Miss Arletta Greene and opened an office for the practice of law. A few years after he formed a partnership with J. B. White, under the firm name of White & Clarke. Mr. Clarke served as a justice of the peace. He aspired to no other office until 1900 when friends nominated him as a candidate for representative from Dallas County in the state legislature. He was elected and from the start was an outstanding member of that body in the twenty-eighth general assembly. He was reelected to the twenty-ninth, thirtieth, thirty-first assemblies and in the later two was chosen as speaker of the house, both times without opposition. Republicans and democrats alike recognized his ability and fairness and the confidence placed in him was deserved, He was thoroughly versed in parliamentary procedure and his decisions and rulings were strictly fair and impartial. They gained for him the high confidence and warm regard of his political opponents as well as those of his own party. In 1908 the republicans made him their nominee for lieutenant governor and at the close of a two year term he was re-elected to that position. For many years he was active in the affairs of the Knights of Pythias lodge and was an honorary member of the Adel Rotary Club taking a keen interest in the organization.

Born in Shelby County, Indiana, October 24, 1852. His father, John Clarke, was born in Warren County, Ohio, and his mother, Eliza J. Akers, was born in Floyd County, Indiana. They removed from Shelby County, Indiana, to Davis County, Iowa, in 1856, and settled on a farm near Drakeville. Here also lived with them and worked on the farm their son until he was twenty-two years of age. In the winter he had taught school in the country and in Drakeville and later he taught in Bloomfield. He acquired his education at Oskaloosa College, Oskaloosa, Iowa, from which institution he was graduated in 1877. Immediately after, he entered the law office of Lafferty & Johnson, at Oskaloosa. After studying there for a time he entered the law department of the State University of Iowa and was graduated in 1878. In the same year he came to Adel, in Dallas County, Iowa, was married to Miss Arletta Greene and opened an office for the practice of law. A few years after he formed a partnership with J. B. White, under the firm name of White & Clarke. Mr. Clarke served as a justice of the peace. He aspired to no other office until 1900 when friends nominated him as a candidate for representative from Dallas County in the state legislature. He was elected and from the start was an outstanding member of that body in the twenty-eighth general assembly. He was reelected to the twenty-ninth, thirtieth, thirty-first assemblies and in the later two was chosen as speaker of the house, both times without opposition. Republicans and democrats alike recognized his ability and fairness and the confidence placed in him was deserved, He was thoroughly versed in parliamentary procedure and his decisions and rulings were strictly fair and impartial. They gained for him the high confidence and warm regard of his political opponents as well as those of his own party. In 1908 the republicans made him their nominee for lieutenant governor and at the close of a two year term he was re-elected to that position. For many years he was active in the affairs of the Knights of Pythias lodge and was an honorary member of the Adel Rotary Club taking a keen interest in the organization.

Born in Shelby County, Indiana, October 24, 1852. His father, John Clarke, was born in Warren County, Ohio, and his mother, Eliza J. Akers, was born in Floyd County, Indiana. They removed from Shelby County, Indiana, to Davis County, Iowa, in 1856, and settled on a farm near Drakeville. Here also lived with them and worked on the farm their son until he was twenty-two years of age. In the winter he had taught school in the country and in Drakeville and later he taught in Bloomfield. He acquired his education at Oskaloosa College, Oskaloosa, Iowa, from which institution he was graduated in 1877. Immediately after, he entered the law office of Lafferty & Johnson, at Oskaloosa. After studying there for a time he entered the law department of the State University of Iowa and was graduated in 1878. In the same year he came to Adel, in Dallas County, Iowa, was married to Miss Arletta Greene and opened an office for the practice of law. A few years after he formed a partnership with J. B. White, under the firm name of White & Clarke. Mr. Clarke served as a justice of the peace. He aspired to no other office until 1900 when friends nominated him as a candidate for representative from Dallas County in the state legislature. He was elected and from the start was an outstanding member of that body in the twenty-eighth general assembly. He was reelected to the twenty-ninth, thirtieth, thirty-first assemblies and in the later two was chosen as speaker of the house, both times without opposition. Republicans and democrats alike recognized his ability and fairness and the confidence placed in him was deserved, He was thoroughly versed in parliamentary procedure and his decisions and rulings were strictly fair and impartial. They gained for him the high confidence and warm regard of his political opponents as well as those of his own party. In 1908 the republicans made him their nominee for lieutenant governor and at the close of a two year term he was re-elected to that position. For many years he was active in the affairs of the Knights of Pythias lodge and was an honorary member of the Adel Rotary Club taking a keen interest in the organization.

Born in Shelby County, Indiana, October 24, 1852. His father, John Clarke, was born in Warren County, Ohio, and his mother, Eliza J. Akers, was born in Floyd County, Indiana. They removed from Shelby County, Indiana, to Davis County, Iowa, in 1856, and settled on a farm near Drakeville. Here also lived with them and worked on the farm their son until he was twenty-two years of age. In the winter he had taught school in the country and in Drakeville and later he taught in Bloomfield. He acquired his education at Oskaloosa College, Oskaloosa, Iowa, from which institution he was graduated in 1877. Immediately after, he entered the law office of Lafferty & Johnson, at Oskaloosa. After studying there for a time he entered the law department of the State University of Iowa and was graduated in 1878. In the same year he came to Adel, in Dallas County, Iowa, was married to Miss Arletta Greene and opened an office for the practice of law. A few years after he formed a partnership with J. B. White, under the firm name of White & Clarke. Mr. Clarke served as a justice of the peace. He aspired to no other office until 1900 when friends nominated him as a candidate for representative from Dallas County in the state legislature. He was elected and from the start was an outstanding member of that body in the twenty-eighth general assembly. He was reelected to the twenty-ninth, thirtieth, thirty-first assemblies and in the later two was chosen as speaker of the house, both times without opposition. Republicans and democrats alike recognized his ability and fairness and the confidence placed in him was deserved, He was thoroughly versed in parliamentary procedure and his decisions and rulings were strictly fair and impartial. They gained for him the high confidence and warm regard of his political opponents as well as those of his own party. In 1908 the republicans made him their nominee for lieutenant governor and at the close of a two year term he was re-elected to that position. For many years he was active in the affairs of the Knights of Pythias lodge and was an honorary member of the Adel Rotary Club taking a keen interest in the organization.