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Harry C. Clark

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Harry C. Clark
19th Mayor of San Diego
In office
May 2, 1927 – May 4, 1931
Preceded byJohn L. Bacon
Succeeded byWalter W. Austin
Personal details
Born
Harry Camp Clark

June 8, 1883
Bay City, Michigan, U.S.
DiedDecember 27, 1950 (aged 67)
San Diego, California, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseGeorgia L. Kessinger
ChildrenHarry C. Clark, Jr.
Alma materUniversity of Vermont

Harry Camp Clark (June 8, 1883 – December 27, 1950) was an American Republican politician from California.

Early life

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Harry Clark was born on June 8, 1883 in Bay City, Michigan, to Herman and Melissa Clark. In 1907, he graduated from the University of Vermont with a degree in civil engineering. After graduation, he worked in Massachusetts and Louisville, Kentucky, where he was in charge of building a sewer system.[citation needed]

Legal, political, and military career

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In 1911, he moved to San Diego, California, to join his mother and two sisters. He took up road surveying and studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1918. Clark became an able and popular lawyer, and was president of the County Bar Association in 1927. Clark served as mayor of San Diego from 1927 to 1931. He was defeated in 1931, where the main issue was the $8.5 million spent for water projects, such as Lake Hodges Dam, with little to show for it. Clark served as Deputy City Attorney after his term as mayor. During World War I, he was second lieutenant of the Quartermaster's Corps and served overseas for a year. He took part in the Battle of Saint-Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne Offensive. He was promoted to captain before he was discharged.

Personal life

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On June 6, 1911, Clark married Georgia L. Kessinger in San Diego. She was born May 14, 1876, in Ohio and died December 22, 1963, in San Diego. They had at least one son, Harry C., Jr. Clark died on December 27, 1950 of a heart attack at his home in San Diego.

Further reading

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  • Heilbron, Carl (1936). History of San Diego County. San Diego Press Club. Biography, pp. 169–170
  • "Harry Camp Clark Succumbs in Home", San Diego Union, December 28, 1950, p. A-6. Includes portrait
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of San Diego, California
1927–1931
Succeeded by