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William Andrews Clark

William A. Clark
Waclark.jpg
United States Senator
from Montana
In office
March 4, 1899 – May 15, 1900
Preceded by Lee Mantle
Succeeded by Paris Gibson
In office
March 4, 1901 – March 4, 1907
Preceded by Thomas H. Carter
Succeeded by Joseph M. Dixon
Personal details
Born William Andrews Clark
(1839-01-08)January 8, 1839
Connellsville, Pennsylvania
Died March 2, 1925(1925-03-02) (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 San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad 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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