James Clark was born on January 16, 1779 in Bedford County, Virginia, United States, near the Peaks of Otter. When a boy, he was brought by his parents, Robert and Susan Clark, to Kentucky where the family settled in Clark County on a farm near the Kentucky River.
Clark received his education from Dr. Blythe who later made a name for himself on the faculty of Transylvania College. He returned to Virginia to study law with his brother, Christian, and after completing his studies made an extended trip into the West looking for a suitable place in which to begin the practise of his profession. He finally came back to Winchester, Clark County, Kentucky, and was admitted to the bar there in 1797.
Clark commenced his law practice in Winchester about 1797. He finally came back to Winchester, Clark County, Kentucky, and was admitted to the bar there in 1797. He was a successful lawyer, but politics attracted him. In 1807 he was elected to the state House of Representatives, and was reelected in 1808. In this he was following in the footsteps of his brother, Robert, who had represented Clark County in the legislature for several years. In 1810 he was appointed a judge of the Kentucky Court of Appeals and remained on the bench for two years.
In 1813 he was elected to the lower house of Congress and was reelected for a second term in 1815. His two terms were without distinction, and he brought them to a close by resignation in 1816. In 1817 he was appointed judge of the circuit court of Kentucky and served in that position until his resignation in 1824. He attracted national attention by a decision declaring the popular replevin law of Kentucky unconstitutional. For this decision he was summoned before the Kentucky legislature but refused to appear, making his defense in writing. A subsequent attempt to remove him by legislative action was defeated.
In 1825 he was again elected to Congress to fill the place made vacant by Clay’s acceptance of a position in the cabinet, and was reelected in 1827 and 1829. The Debates and Proceedings of Congress indicate that he was not an active member, rarely speaking, and apparently exerting no influence upon legislation. In 1831 he declined a nomination for Congress and the next year was elected to the Kentucky Senate, holding the position for four years. He was chosen speaker of the Senate in 1835. In 1836 he was elected governor of Kentucky on the Whig ticket but died in 1839 before the completion of his term. His administration was a good one without being brilliant.
James Clark was a member of the Whig Party and a bitter opponent of Andrew Jackson. He believed in the rights of slave owners and encouraged Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois to cooperate in returning escaped slaves.
Clark was a man of culture and independence, courageous, of considerable logical powers, and, in the last part of his life, a bitter partisan.
Clark was married to Margaret Buckner Thornton.
