Bayard Clarke (March 17, 1815 – June 20, 1884) was a United States representative from New York.
Biography Born in New York City on March 17, 1815,Thomas William Herringshaw, Herringshaw's National Library of American Biography, 1909, page 635U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925, application for Bayard Clarke, retrieved via Ancestry.com, October 5, 2013 Clarke was a member of one of the city's oldest and most prominent families.New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Volumes 28-29, 1897, page 61 He graduated from Geneva College in 1835, studied law, and was admitted to the bar.Rossiter Johnson, John Howard Brown, editors, The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, 1904
From 1836 to 1840 he was attaché to Lewis Cass, United States Minister to France.Chez A. Guyot et Scribe, Almanach National: Annuaire Officiel de la République Française, 1840, page 3 While in France he was a student in the Royal Cavalry School.John Howard Brown, editor, Lamb's Biographical Dictionary of the United States, 1900, page 36
Upon returning to the United States, Clarke joined the United States Army, receiving a commission as a second lieutenant in the 8th Infantry in March, 1841. He transferred to the 2nd Dragoons in September, 1841. During his service Clarke took part in the Seminole Wars in Florida.Benjamin Homans, editor, Army and Navy Chronicle, Volumes 12-13, 1841, page 312Francis Colburn Adams, The Story of a Trooper, 1865, page 7
Clarke resigned from the army in December, 1843 and practiced law in New York City and Westchester County.U.S. Army Adjutant General, Official Army Register for 1843, 1844, page 52 Also in December, 1843 he married Alletta Remsen Lawrence, a member of another prominent New York family.New York Society Library, NYC Marriage & Death Notices 1843-1856, retrieved October 5, 2013
He was an unsuccessful Whig candidate for election in 1852 to the Thirty-third Congress.New York Times, The Election: The General Result, November 4, 1852 In 1854 he was elected to the Thirty-fourth Congress as a Whig, holding office from March 4, 1855, to March 3, 1857. Clarke received the support of other parties, including the Know Nothings and the anti-slavery Opposition Party; after the election, he was among the members of the House who attempted to organize these groups into an abolitionist movement. He declined renomination as a Republican in 1856 and resumed practicing law.New York Times, Letter from Hon. Bayard Clarke Declining a Renomination, October 21, 1856
At the start of the American Civil War, Clarke went to Washington, D.C. to offer his services. He was commissioned as a colonel, and was an organizer of the 1st New York Cavalry Regiment (Lincoln Cavalry), which was commanded by Carl Schurz, Clarke, and then Andrew T. McReynolds.New York Daily Tribune, Volunteer Incidents, April 26, 1861New York Times, The Cavalry Regiment: A Note From Major Bayard Clarke, July 3, 1861John Watts De Peyster, Personal and Military History of Philip Kearny, 1870, page 480
In mid-1861 there were news accounts indicating that Clarke would be commissioned a brigadier general and assigned to command a school for cavalry in Westchester County. This plan does not seem to have been carried out, since there are no further references to Clarke's promotion or the operation of a cavalry school in Westchester County.New York Times, The Great Rebellion: Important News from Washington, August 4, 1861Galveston Weekly Civilian and Gazette, News by Telegraph, August 13, 1861Shreveport Daily News, News by Telegraph, August 9, 1861New York State Military Museum, Transcript, Civil War Newspapers, Westchester County, New York, retrieved October 5, 2013The Daily Saratogian, Telegraphs, August 5, 1861
In retirement Clarke lived in England for several years.1871 England Census, entry for Bayard Clarke, retrieved via Ancestry.com, October 5, 2013 He later resided in Florida during the winter and an island on Schroon Lake, New York during the summer.Reading Eagle, The Schroon Lake Meteorite, October 5, 1880 He died on June 20, 1884, at his summer home, Isola Bella, in Schroon Lake.New York Times, Col. Bayard Clarke Dead, June 22, 1884New York Times, Funeral of Col. Bayard Clarke, June 28, 1884 He was interred in a vault at First Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Newtown, New York.Newtown Register, Funeral notice, Alletta Remsen Lawrence Clarke, May 30, 1878
His name sometimes appears as "Clark" in contemporary news accounts and other records.Stephen Z. Starr, The Union Cavalry in the Civil War: From Fort Sumter to Gettysburg, 1861-1863, 1985, page 69Burdick & Allen, War Papers Read Before the Commandery of the State of Wisconsin, Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, Volume 3, 1903, page 65Thomas Kearny, General Philip Kearny: Battle Soldier of Five Wars, Including the Conquest of the West, 1937, page 170New York Times, Local Military Movements, July 2, 1861
References
External links
Bayard Clarke at Political Graveyard