William A. Clark
| William A. Clark | |
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United States Senator from Montana |
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In office March 4, 1899 – May 15, 1900 |
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| Preceded by | Lee Mantle |
| Succeeded by | Paris Gibson |
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In office March 4, 1901 – March 4, 1907 |
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| Preceded by | Thomas H. Carter |
| Succeeded by | Joseph M. Dixon |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
William Andrews Clark January 8, 1839 Connellsville, Pennsylvania |
| Died | March 2, 1925 (aged 86) New York City, New York |
| Resting place | Woodlawn Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Katherine Louise Stauffer Anna Eugenia La Chapelle |
| Children |
Charles Walker Clark William Andrews Clark, Jr. Huguette M. Clark (see more) |
| Residence |
Copper King Mansion (Butte, Montana) William A. Clark House (New York City) |
| Alma mater | Iowa Wesleyan College |
| Net worth | USD $150 million at the time of his death (approximately 1/609th of US GNP) |
William Andrews Clark, Sr. (January 8, 1839 – March 2, 1925) was an American politician and entrepreneur, involved with mining, banking, and railroads.
Clark was born in Connellsville, Pennsylvania. He moved with his family to Iowa in 1856 where he taught school and studied law at Iowa Wesleyan College. In 1862, he traveled west to become a miner. After working in quartz mines in Colorado, during 1863 Clark made his way to new gold fields to find his fortune in the Montana gold rush.
He settled in the capital of Montana Territory, Bannack, Montana, and began placer mining. Though his claim paid only moderately, Clark invested his earnings in becoming a trader, driving mules back and forth between Salt Lake City and the boomtowns of Montana to transport eggs and other basic supplies.
He soon changed careers again and became a banker in Deer Lodge, Montana. He repossessed mining properties when owners defaulted on their loans, placing him in the mining industry. He made a fortune with copper mining, small smelters, electric power companies, newspapers, railroads (trolley lines around Butte and the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad (SP,LA&SL RR) from Salt Lake City, Utah to San Pedro and Los Angeles, California), and other businesses, becoming known as one of three "Copper Kings" of Butte, Montana, along with Marcus Daly and F. Augustus Heinze.
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