John B. Clark Jr. was born on January 14, 1831, in Fayette, Missouri; he attended the Fayette Academy and Missouri University. He then spent two years in California before traveling east to attend Harvard Law School. Returning to Fayette, he established a law practice.

When the Civil War started, Clark joined the Missouri State Guard as a captain; promoted to major, he fought at Carthage, Wilson’s Creek (where he was wounded) and Lexington. Promoted to colonel and given command of the 3rd Division, Missouri State Guard, he led the division at the Battle of Pea Ridge. After participating in several other battles, Clark was promoted to brigadier general in 1864, and took part in General Sterling Price’s raid through Missouri.

After the war, Clark was elected to Congress, where he served from 1873 until 1883, and became clerk of the House of Representatives. He was a lawyer in Washington, D.C., from 1889 until his death on September 7, 1903.

Carte-de-Visite by J.A. Scholten, St. Louis, Mo.

Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 31453