Henry Alden Clark: Erie's Intellectual of the Highest Order

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Henry Alden Clark was born in 1850 and died in 1944, meaning he witnessed America's history from the Civil War through World War II. The nonagenarian Renaissance Man was a journalist, lawyer, intellectual, philosopher, father, state senator, congressman, historian, and judge.

Henry Alden Clark was born in Harborcreek on Jan. 7, 1850 to Chauncey and Emeline Clark. He and his younger brother William received their early years of education from their mother. When Henry was 14 though, his mother died and the boys bounced around different schools. Henry spent a year at Erie Academy, a year at the Edinboro Normal School, and a year at Willoughby Collegiate Institute. He then returned to Erie and completed a year at Central High School before taking a job as a classroom teacher for a short stint.

He soon enrolled at Harvard. There, Clark co-edited The Harvard Book, which had a series of essays and biographies related to the university's history. He was also one of the co-founders and original editors of the campus newspaper The Magenta (now called the Harvard Crimson). Their first "office" was Clark's dorm room in Stoughton Hall. The success of this student newspaper was far from guaranteed. The previous five student publications had all failed due to "indifference of the study body." Yet, they pushed forward, filling the publication with student stories and essays and plenty of humor. It was an instant hit.

After earning his degree in 1874, he entered Harvard Law School. He graduated in 1877 and was admitted to the bar the following year. For the next few years, he practiced law in Fall River, Massachusetts, first in a partnership with Jonathan M. Wood and then with Hugo A. Dubuque.

In 1878, he married Sophy Gertrude McCreary of Erie, daughter of David Berkley and Annette Julia McCreary. Her father was a brigadier general during the Civil War, having first enlisted with the Wayne Guards under John W. McLane and working his way up the ranks. In 1880, Henry and Sophy had a daughter and named her Sophy Annette.

The Clarks moved back to Erie in 1882 and he became law partners with his father-in-law. Around this time, Clark also represented Edison Electric Light Company and was described as a "confidante" of Thomas Edison. In their personal correspondences, Clark and Edison personally discussed bringing Edison's "overhead conductors" for the "Edison light" to Erie's streets. The two men reportedly remained lifelong friends.

Clark was well-liked by his peers and colleagues. His friends described him as a "gentle, understanding, tolerant soul" who was known for his "cool and rational judgement" and "pristine eloquence." He was known as "the philosopher, the comforter, [and] the common sense advisor." Good friend and fellow lawyer Franklin B. Hosbach said of him, "Clark's charm for making and keeping great friendships lay in his sincerity and true basic greatness which radiated from his personality."

In February 1889, he and Sophy had their second child, a son named Henry. That December, Clark lost his brother William, only 37 years old, who was working as a pharmacist in Middleville, Michigan and was planning to relocate his business back home. After contracting malaria though, he returned to Erie to recuperate and while he initially seemed to be recovering, his health suddenly and rapidly deteriorated.

A few months after his brother's death, Clark purchased the Erie Gazette and worked as its editor. After a few years, he sold it, declaring that he was happy to get out of journalism forever, and instead turned his focus to politics. He had already dabbled in politics having been selected as chairman for the Republican City Committee and then to the county committee. He was first elected to the Common Council of Erie and then served a term as Erie City Solicitor beginning in 1896.

After taking a break from politics, he entered the race for the Pennsylvania State Senate in 1910. "The question of efficient government is squarely up to the people," he said after winning. "It is just as essential to have good men operating the municipal machinery as it is to have the men 'behind the guns.'"

Clark then ran for United States Congress in 1916. This was an extremely important election as war was already raging in Europe and many Americans were divided on whether the United States should get involved or not. Clark won the seat. On April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson spoke to a joint session of Congress requesting a declaration of war against Germany. The Senate voted in favor two days later, followed by the House of Representatives two days after that. Clark voted yes.

Near the end of his term, as World War I was coming to an end, Clark chose not to run again. He returned to practicing law in Erie and remained active across the city. He was a trustee of Erie Academy. He was director of the Erie Art Club and president of the Erie County Historical Society. Clark was deeply interested in history and frequently read histories and biographies. To many locals, he was earning the reputation of "one of the city's most revered and prominent citizens."

In May 1921, Clark, now 71, was appointed by the governor to a 10-year term as judge of the newly-formed Erie County Orphan's Court. In this position, his role was to settle disputes related to estates, trusts, guardianships, and other family law issues. His term was met with approval, but for his second term, there would be no appointment. He'd have to win it in an election. Now though, he was 80 years old, his wife Sophy had recently died, and the opposition publicly and relentlessly highlighted his age in their campaigns against him, arguing that he wouldn't even survive another 10-year term.

While it is unclear what happened behind the scenes, Clark decided to run with the Liberal Party, making it a three-way race with the Republican and Democratic candidates. Many across the city came to his defense. He received numerous endorsements from area organizations, unions, and veterans groups, each highlighting his character, his experience, and his progressive record.

"When your personal affairs are at stake, would you dismiss a lawyer who had served you wisely and well to engage a newcomer merely for the sake of change?" one supporter published, comparing Clark to Babe Ruth and his two opponents to inexperienced ballplayers. "He has no 'machine' and no 'paid patriots' but trusts entirely the power of truth and the judgement of the voters." Despite these efforts, Clark came in third. He'd been deeply hurt by all of the personal attacks, but accepted the results and went back to practicing law.

Clark's mind remained sharp. He was still a great conversationalist and his impeccable memory remained, although he'd given up horseback riding and golf. His vision wasn't what it used to be, but he still could read and did so voraciously. He also still had his automobile and enjoyed leisure drives with friends. When he could, he still traveled and visited Harvard for the first time in decades around this time. He marveled at the Crimson Building that housed the student newspaper that was once edited out of his dorm room.

Even up until 94 years of age, Henry Alden Clark was sharp as a tack. The Erie Daily Times noted that he was "an intellectual of the highest order" who "spread his wisdom generously to all who knew him," but always remained humble. (ETN)

Even after turning 90, while officially retired, he was known for helping out younger lawyers. "Judge Clark has never permitted himself to grow too old," the Erie Daily Times noted on his 91st birthday. If a young lawyer asked for his assistance or advice, he was there. In fact, he was still seen in the courthouse nearly daily. He was also often seen taking walks, usually to the corner store nearby where he'd check out the baseball scores and pick up the newspaper.

He always kept a close eye on current events. He had strong opinions and he wasn't shy about sharing them. "His rebuke could be sharp and his criticism searing," stated the Erie Daily Times. "But he was just as quick to praise when it was merited." As Europe erupted into another war, he studied the conflict daily from his East Sixth Street home.

"I look back over that long lane of years to 1850 [and] the world does not seem to have changed as much as we think it has, surely not as much as it should have done. Things aren't a whole lot different now than they ever were," he reflected in January 1941. He predicted that the United States would soon be at war with Nazi Germany. Just shy of a year later, the United States entered the war.

On Jan. 7, 1944, Clark celebrated his 94th birthday. In the past, his birthdays would be an open house of people coming and going, but his doctor had advised against it this year. He instead held only a small gathering with close friends and family where they discussed "pleasant memories" and Clark, always the storyteller, shared stories from the past and thoughts on the present war.

"He's still the same keen student of current affairs he always was," the newspaper noted in a report on his birthday, adding that his mind was still "sharp and clear." Of the war, he said he hoped he would personally get to see the end of it. He recalled being a boy during the Civil War, living on the farm in Erie County, and hearing about the Battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg after they happened. And it seemed, Clark recalled, it had been war after war after war around the world ever since.

"There is battle, murder, and sudden death in the world today," he said, "but there have been exactly those same things existing and operating for most part of my 94 years."

Clark would not see the end of the war though. On Jan. 28, 1944, he came down with what seemed to be a simple cold. Within a few days, he had taken a turn for the worse and was bedridden at home. His doctors considered him to be in critical condition and predicted that he likely wouldn't recover. A little over two weeks later, he died.

The editors of the Erie Daily Times noted their "genuine sadness" over the loss of this "gentlemen, scholar, citizen and jurist." They added that Henry Alden Clark was "an intellectual of the highest order" who "spread his wisdom generously to all who knew him," but always remained humble. "He was considerate and kind towards his fellow man," they continued. "His heart couldn't harbor any hard thoughts to any human."

His son, Henry, died two months later at age 55. His daughter, Sophy, lived until 1961. She was 81. The Clark family are all buried at the Erie Cemetery.

Jonathan Burdick runs the public history project Rust & Dirt. He can be reached at jburdick@eriereader.com