CLARKE, James P., American public official and legislator: b. Yazoo City, Miss., 18 Aug. 1854; d. Little Rock, Ark., 8 Oct. 1916. He attended the common schools of Yazoo City and later obtained a finished education by saving his earnings as a printer on the Yazoo Herald. He studied law at the University of Virginia and was graduated in 1878. In 1879 he began practising law at Helena, Ark. He entered the political field in 1886, when he was elected to the house of representatives of Ar kansas. He was elected to the State senate in 1888, becoming president of that body in 1891 and ex-officio lieutenant-governor. He was elected governor of Arkansas in 1894 and at the close of his term of office moved to Little Rock, where he resumed his law practice. He took his seat in the United States Senate on 9 March 1903, succeeding James K. Jones, and was re-elected in 1909 and 1915. He was a member of the Democratic National Committee. Senator Clarke has been president pro tempore of the Senate since the Democratic party gained control in 1913. He was chosen by the party caucus to succeed the late Senator Frye, of Maine, after a spirited contest and was elected to the place in the Sixty-fourth Congress de spite determined opposition based upon his sen sational revolt against the administration Ship Purchase Bill in the previous Congress. In
the closing days of the 1916 session he pre sided over the Senate owing to the absence of Vice-President Marshall. The railroad Eight Hour Bill was passed with Senator Clarke in the chair, but he was one of the two Demo cratic senators to vote against the meas ure, and he refused to sign it. He was many times the leader in opposition to measures pro posed by his party. The climax to his inde pendence was reached when he led the Democratic revolt against the Ship Purchase Bill, which gave new life to the Republican filibuster against the measure and made its passage impossible. When the bill was rein troduced in the 1916 session, however, with the government ownership and operation features to which Senator Clarke objected, revised and modified, he supported it. He proposed the amendment to the Philippine Bill of 1916 which would give absolute independence to the islands in four years.