Beverly L. Clarke

Beverly Leonidas Clarke (February 11, 1809 – March 17, 1860) was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky. He was known for his "sterling integrity, gentlemanly manners, and polished oratory."[1]

Beverly Clarke
U.S. Minister to Guatemala
In office
July 13, 1858 – March 17, 1860
PresidentJames Buchanan
Preceded byJohn L. Marling
Succeeded byElisha Oscar Crosby
U.S. Minister to Honduras
In office
August 10, 1858 – March 17, 1860
PresidentJames Buchanan
Preceded bySolon Borland
Succeeded byJames R. Partridge
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Kentucky's 2nd district
In office
March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849
Preceded byJohn H. McHenry
Succeeded byJames Leeper Johnson
Personal details
Born
Beverly Leonidas Clarke

(1809-02-11)February 11, 1809
Winterfield, Virginia, U.S.
DiedMarch 17, 1860(1860-03-17) (aged 51)
Guatemala City, Guatemala
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
Mariah Louisa Clarke
​
​
(died 1848)​
    Zenobia Turner
    ​
    (after 1848)​
    RelationsJohn S. Mosby (son-in-law)
    Children5
    Signature

    Early life

    Clarke was born in Winterfield, Chesterfield County, Virginia, on February 11, 1809.[2] Winterfield was a 210 acre plantation near modern day Midlothian that had a horse racetrack on it. In the 1870s it was subdivided into 65 lots. The current subdivisions of Winterfield Station (2004), Winterfield Park (2016), and Winterfield Crossing (2018) all possess the name of the old plantation and yet are not located on the land of it.

    Clarke attended the common school and moved to Kentucky in 1823. He studied law in Franklin, Kentucky, and graduated from the Lexington Law School in 1831.[2]

    Career

    Clarke was admitted to the bar in 1833 and commenced practice in Franklin, Kentucky. He served as member of the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1841 and 1842.[3]

    Clarke was elected as a Democrat to the Thirtieth Congress (March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849). He served as delegate to the State constitutional convention in 1849.[2]

    Race for Governor of Kentucky

    In 1855, Clarke, who was known as old-line conservative and proslavery candidate,[4] was selected as the Democratic nominee for Governor of Kentucky.[5] His opponent Charles S. Morehead, a former Whig U.S. Representative who ran with the Know-Nothing Party ran a campaign that focused on immigrants and vilified Catholics leading to bloody riots in Louisville.[6] Although Clarke himself was not a Catholic, his wife was and that was used against him. Clarke had the support of John C. Breckinridge, who (successfully) ran to replace Morehead in the House of Representatives and would later serve as Vice-President of the United States from 1857 to 1861 under President Buchanan.[5] Clarke was defeated by Morehead (69,816 for Morehead to 65,413 for Clarke)[6] who served until 1859.[5]

    Diplomatic service

    On January 7, 1858, he was appointed by President Buchanan as U.S. Minister to Guatemala.[7] On January 14, 1858, he was also appointed as U.S. Minister to Honduras. He presented his credentials in Guatemala on July 13, 1858, and in Honduras on August 10, 1858, serving until his death in Guatemala on March 17, 1860.[7] After moving to Guatemala, Clarke converted to Catholicism, confirmed by Bishop Bernardo Piñol with Pedro de Aycinena y Piñol as his godfather, much to the delight of the people there.[8]

    Personal life

    Clarke was married to his cousin Mariah Louise Clarke (1818 – c. 1848),[1] a devout Roman Catholic.[9][10] Together, they were the parents of one son and three daughters (all of whom they named after the Virgin Mary), including:[1]

    After Mariah Louise Clark's death, he married Zenobia Turner. Together, they were the parents of a son:[1]

    • Thomas H. Clarke

    Beverly Clarke died of diabetes in Guatemala City on March 17, 1860, while serving as the U.S. Minister.[13] He was first buried in Guatemala but later was interred in the State Cemetery, Frankfort, Kentucky,[2] after an act of the Kentucky Legislature.[14]

    Descendants

    Through his daughter Pauline, he was the grandfather of nine grandchildren of whom six survived.[1]

    References

    Notes

    1. Ramage, James (2010). Gray Ghost: The Life of Col. John Singleton Mosby. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 13, 29. ISBN 978-0813129457. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
    2. "CLARKE, Beverly Leonidas - Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
    3. Allen, William B. (1872). A History of Kentucky: Embracing Gleanings, Reminiscences, Antiquities, Natural Curiosities, Statistics, and Biographical Sketches of Pioneers, Soldiers, Jurists, Lawyers, Statesmen, Divines, Mechanics, Farmers, Merchants, and Other Leading Men, of All Occupations and Pursuits. Bradley & Gilbert. pp. 282. Retrieved November 10, 2008.
    4. Matthews, Gary (2014). More American Than Southern: Kentucky, Slavery, and the War for an American Ideology, 1828-1861. Univ. of Tennessee Press. p. 139. ISBN 9781621900573. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
    5. Watson, Thomas Shelby; Brantley, Perry A. (2007). Confederate Guerrilla Sue Mundy: A Biography of Kentucky Soldier Jerome Clarke. McFarland. p. 10. ISBN 9780786432806. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
    6. Harrison, Lowell H. (2015). Kentucky's Governors. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 75–76. ISBN 9780813159744. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
    7. "Beverly Leonidas Clarke - People - Department History". history.state.gov. Office of the Historian, Bureau of Public Affairs United States Department of State. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
    8. Woodward Jr, Ralph Lee (2012). Rafael Carrera and the Emergence of the Republic of Guatemala, 1821–1871. University of Georgia Press. p. 261. ISBN 9780820343600. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
    9. "St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church -- 271 Winchester St. Warrenton, VA 20186". www.stjohntheevangelist.org. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
    10. Goetz, David (2012). Hell Is Being Republican in Virginia. Xlibris Corporation. p. 151. ISBN 9781462890828. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
    11. Siepel, Kevin H. (2008). Rebel: The Life and Times of John Singleton Mosby. U of Nebraska Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-0803233744. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
    12. Talbott, Tim. "Beverly L. Clarke". ExploreKYHistory. Kentucky Historical Society. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
    13. "SOUTH AMERICA". New York Daily Tribune. April 19, 1860. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
    14. Acts of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Printed at the Kentucky Yeoman Office, John H. Harney, public printer. 1868. pp. 80–81. Retrieved February 18, 2018.

    Sources

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