Representative James Frederick Clarke View All Years

JAMES FREDERIC CLARKE

MR. SPEAKER: Your committee, appointed to prepare a suitable resolution commemorative of the life, character, and public service of the late Honorable James Frederic Clarke, of Jefferson county, Iowa, begs leave to submit the following:

James Frederic Clarke, Representative from Jefferson county, was born in Fairfield, Iowa, February 23, 1864, and passed away April 12, 1942. His parents, of English descent, were of American nativity. He attended the graded schools, then three years at Parsons College, and later three years at the State University of Iowa, where he graduated with the degree of B.S. in 1886. He graduated from the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania with the degree of M.D. in 1889 and the same year took his Master’s degree from the University of Iowa. For two years after graduation he was resident physician in the Philadelphia Hospital, and in 1865 took post-graduate courses in John Hopkins University and in the University of Gottingen, Germany. On the mustering in of the Iowa troops for the Spanish War he was appointed Major and Surgeon of the Forty-ninth Iowa Volunteer Infantry and served throughout the war in the South and in Cuba, a large part of this time on detached service in charge of the medical wards of the Second Division Hospital of the Seventh Army Corps. In the World War he was in command of Unit R, with the rank of Major and sailed for France in February, 1918. At the time of his honorary discharge in 1919, he ranked as Lieutenant Colonel.

In 1900 he was appointed lecturer on Hygiene in the Colleges of Medicine and Dentistry of the State University of Iowa, and in 1901 he was chosen lecturer on bacteriology in Parsons College. He was a member of the American Medical Association. He was for some time first vice president of the Iowa State Medical Association and president of the Des Moines Valley Medical Association and has published many articles on medical subjects. He served one term as mayor of Fairfield, Iowa.

Dr. Clarke was very active in civic affairs until his health failed. In 1901 be married Melinda E. Clapp of Ohio, who survives him. He was elected Representative in 1906 and was a Democrat in politics.

Therefore, Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Fiftieth General Assembly of the State of Iowa, That in the passing of the Honorable James Frederic Clarke the state of Iowa has lost a valued and honored citizen, and the House belatedly tenders its sympathies to the surviving member of his family.

Therefore, Be It Further Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be spread upon the Journal of the House and that the Chief Clerk be instructed to send an enrolled copy to his surviving wife.

WILSON REED,

BERT E. DODDS,

A. L. DOUD, JR.

Committee.

Unanimously adopted,