WILLIAM M. CLARK.
It is a well-attested fact that the greatness of a community or state lies not in the machinery of government, nor even in its institutions, but rather in the sterling qualities of the individual citizen, in his capacity for high and unselfish effort and his devotion to the public welfare. In those particulars William M. Clark has conferred honor and dignity upon his locality, and as an elemental part of this history, it is fitting that there should be recorded a resume of his career, with the object of noting his connection with the advancement of one of the most flourishing sections of the great Hawkeye commonwealth.
William M. Clark was born in Grant county, Wisconsin, on November 16, 1871, a son of William J. and Serena J. (Thompson) Clark. The life history of William J. Clark is contained elsewhere in this volume, the biographical sketch of Mr. Clark presenting the history of the Clark family. Educated in the common schools of Audubon county, William M. Clark early in life took up farming in Viola township and continued farming operations in that township for two years, after which he removed to Missouri, and lived in that state for seven years. Mr. Clark prospered while living in Missouri, but subsequently returned to Audubon county and purchased a farm in Viola township, where he is now living. He is also the owner of two hundred and forty acres of land in Pipe Stone county, Minnesota.
In 1895, William M. Clark was married to Lulu Graves, the daughter of Joseph and Jane (Spratt) Graves, and to this happy union three children have been born, Bertha, Raymond and Elnora, all of whom are living at home.
Mr. Clark is not a member of any lodge, and has held no political offices, but is identified with the Democratic party, and supports the principles and policies of that party. Although a comparatively young man, he has made rapid progress as a farmer, and all of his friends join in predicting for him a very bright future.
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Transcribed from History of Audubon County, Iowa Its People, Industries and Institutions With Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records of Many of the Old Families, by H. F. Andrews, editor, Indianapolis: B. F. Bowen & Company, 1915, pp. 563-564.
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