Tom C. Clark
| Tom C. Clark | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | |
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In office August 19, 1949 – June 12, 1967 |
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| Nominated by | Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Frank Murphy |
| Succeeded by | Thurgood Marshall |
| 59th United States Attorney General | |
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In office June 27, 1945 – July 26, 1949 |
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| President | Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Francis Biddle |
| Succeeded by | Howard McGrath |
| United States Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division | |
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In office 1943–1945 |
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| President |
Franklin D. Roosevelt Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Wendell Berge |
| Succeeded by | Theron Lamar Caudle |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Thomas Campbell Clark September 23, 1899 Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | June 13, 1977 (aged 77) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Ramsey |
| Children | 2 (including Ramsey) |
| Education | University of Texas, Austin (BA, LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch | United States National Guard |
| Unit | Texas |
Thomas Campbell Clark (September 23, 1899 – June 13, 1977) (who preferred "Tom C. Clark") was a Texas lawyer who served in the United States Department of Justice beginning in 1937, as United States Attorney General from 1945 to 1949, and an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1949 to 1967.
Clark was born in Dallas, Texas, on September 23, 1899, the son of Virginia Maxey (née Falls), and William Henry Clark. His parents had moved from Mississippi to Texas; his lawyer father became the youngest man ever elected president of the Texas Bar Association to that time. Young Tom attended the local public schools including Dallas High School and received honors for debate and oratory, as well as became an Eagle Scout. He then attended the Virginia Military Institute for a year, but returned home for financial reasons. In 1918 Clark volunteered to serve in World War I with the U.S. Army, but his weight was too low. However, the Texas National Guard accepted him, and he served as an infantryman and advanced to Sergeant.
After the war ended, Clark enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin, receiving an A.B. degree in 1921. He then began legal studies and received a law degree from the University of Texas School of Law. He was a brother of Delta Tau Delta fraternity, and later served as their international president (1966-1968).
Upon admission to the Texas bar, Clark set up a law practice in his home town from 1922 to 1937. He left private practice to serve Dallas as civil district attorney from 1927 to 1932. He then resumed his private practice for four years.
Clark, a Democrat, joined the Justice Department in 1937 as a special assistant to the U.S. attorney general, working in the war risk litigation section. He later moved to the antitrust division, then run by legendary trust-buster Thurman Arnold, and in 1940 was sent to head up the department’s west coast antitrust office. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor the following year, Clark was named by Attorney General Francis Biddle as the Civilian Coordinator of the Alien Enemy Control Program. In this capacity he worked with General John DeWitt, the head of West Coast military forces, as well as his future Supreme Court colleague Earl Warren, who was then attorney general of California, and other top federal and state officials in the lead up to the internment of Japanese Americans. The initial actions involved enforcement of policies to exclude Japanese Americans from areas designated by the military as prohibited, followed by evacuation from “critical zones and areas,” and finally by forcible relocation to inland camps.
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