Willis Gaylord Clark

Background

Willis Gaylord Clark was born on October 27, 1827 in the western part of New York, United States. He was the son of Dr. Willis Fish and Charity Barnard Clark.

Education

After attending Collegiate Institute (present-day Quincy University) at Quincy, Illinois, Clark studied law in 1848.

Career

In 1848 Willis Clark traveled South, where he settled at Mobile, Alabama, and began a law practice in 1849. Clark edited the Southern Magazine and, from 1852 to 1861, the Mobile Daily Advertiser.

During the Civil War, his paper merged with the Mobile Register, and Clark served with John Forsyth as co-editor of the staunchly Confederate organ. He was an outstanding war correspondent and reported from the front lines to the people on the Gulf Coast. When the war ended, he resettled in Mobile.

In 1867, Clark began a paper manufacturing company, and he later served as president of the Washington Avenue Railroad Company. In 1885, he was named collector of the port of Mobile. He published his "History of Education in Alabama" in 1888 and lived for ten more years in semi-retirement.

Achievements

• Willis Gaylord Clark is known for his service as the editor of the Southern Magazine and the Mobile Daily Advertiser. He also served as president of the Washington Avenue Railroad Company.
  
  He is the author of the "History of Education in Alabama," published in 1888.

Politics

Clark was a member of the Democratic party.

Connections

Clark's marriage to Caroline Erwin Scott was childless.

Father:

Willis Fish Clark

Mother:

Charity Barnard Clark

Wife:

Caroline Erwin Scott Clark

References

• Biographical Dictionary of the Confederacy
  1977