Bennett Champ Clark

Bennett Champ Clark


United States Senator from Missouri
In office February 3, 1933 – January 3, 1945 Serving with Roscoe C. Patterson, Harry S. Truman
Preceded by	Harry B. Hawes
Succeeded by	Forrest C. Donnell
Court of Appeals for the D. C. Circuit associate judge
In office 1945 – July 13, 1954
Nominated by	Harry S. Truman
Preceded by	Thurman Arnold
Succeeded by	Walter Maximillian Bastian
Personal details
Born	(1890-01-08)January 8, 1890 Bowling Green, Missouri
Died	July 13, 1954(1954-07-13) (aged 64) Gloucester, Massachusetts
Resting place	Arlington National Cemetery
Nationality	United States
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	University of Missouri George Washington University Law School
Occupation	Lawyer
Religion	Presbyterian
Military service
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1917–1919
Rank	Colonel
Battles/wars	World War I

Joel Bennett Clark (January 8, 1890 – July 13, 1954), better known as Bennett Champ Clark, was a Democratic United States Senator from Missouri from 1933 until 1945, and was later a United States federal judge.

The son of Champ Clark, a prominent Democratic Party leader of the early 20th century, Bennett Clark was born in Bowling Green, Missouri.

After graduating with a B.A. from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri in 1912, he earned an LL.B. at George Washington University. He became parliamentarian of the United States House of Representatives from 1913 to 1917. After serving as a colonel in the United States Army during World War I, from 1917 to 1919, Clark began practising law in St. Louis, Missouri.

In the 1932 election, Clark was elected to the United States Senate as a Democrat. Clark entered the Senate after Senator Harry B. Hawes resigned on February 3, 1933, a month before his term was to end. Clark was re-elected in the 1938 election, but lost his bid for renomination in the 1944 election.