Talk:William S. Clark/GA1

GA Review

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Reviewer: 74.38.2.160 (talk) 19:13, 4 March 2010 (UTC) The article is really good. The sources and links all match up. The article is very readable and noteworthy with historical signifigance. My only suggestions are to expand the silver mine controversy, if sources are available. Also, there is speculation that poet Emily Dickinson and William Smith Clark had a relationship. One source states "I propose that Emily Dickinson's Master, the mysterious person she loved when she was about thirty, and for whom she wrote hundreds of poems and the three Master Letters, was William Smith Clark..."[1] Maybe it is all speculation, but worth looking into. {Cmguy777 (talk) 19:15, 4 March 2010 (UTC)}

Thanks very much. I will do some expansion of the mining section. Maki certainly has plenty to say about it. I wish I could find another recent source that talks about his mining company, but I'll see what I can do. On the Emily Dickinson thing, I have really waffled about whether or not to include that. It's intriguing, and has caught a lot of attention, so I can see why it might merit inclusion here. On the other hand, the theory was advanced by just one scholar, doesn't seem to have caught any traction among Dickinson scholars, and her evidence, in my humble opinion, is really, really weak (I've heard her lecture and was dismayed by the vague speculations). When reading WP:weight not long ago, I was reminded that different viewpoints should be represented in proportion to the amount of "weight" (i.e. consensus) that they carry in the scholarly world. And since this theory seems to be a lone voice, I just don't feel like it merits inclusion. Just my two cents. Thanks again. Historical Perspective (talk) 23:25, 4 March 2010 (UTC)

The expansion on the later career is really good. The New York Times is a really good source for 19th century news. Clark's financial bankruptcy may have come from a real estate transactions. I believe Maki may have mentioned that one. The Dickinson segment was only a suggestion. You could put in a segment "Alleged Dickinson relationship". The word alleged only implies there is speculation. For example, in George Washington and slavery, there is a segment titled "Alleged slave child". I recommend this as a good article. I am not sure if two or more people have to recommend to get a GA status. {Cmguy777 (talk) 06:28, 6 March 2010 (UTC)}

I like the idea of the "Alleged Dickinson relationship." I'll try to work that in. I've just finished adding some more narrative to the mining episode. The real estate deals, at least according to Maki, were the source of start-up funds but not so much the demise. That came from the failure of the Starr-Grove mine. I've worked this info into the article. Historical Perspective (talk) 18:29, 6 March 2010 (UTC)

It is your decision to put Dickerson in the Article. Clark may have sold mine shares to the Dickerson family. {Cmguy777 (talk) 20:33, 6 March 2010 (UTC)}

Later career

Clark was President, Bothwell was Secretary, and Schuyler Van Rennselaer was the Treasurer.[2] Apparently, it is not very clear why the company financially collapsed. {Cmguy777 (talk) 20:19, 4 March 2010 (UTC)}

I've seen Bothwell referred to as both Secretary and Treasurer in the NY Times. Maybe he was both. Maki consistently refers to him as Treasurer, so I've stuck with that. Van Rennselaer was Treasurer just of the Stormont Mining Company, one of the subsidiaries. Historical Perspective (talk) 18:29, 6 March 2010 (UTC)

The later carreer looks really good. It gives a different perspective to Clark. {Cmguy777 (talk) 20:31, 6 March 2010 (UTC)}