Leander Clark
Encyclopedia
Leander Clark was an American
businessman, Iowa
state legislator, Union Army
officer during the Civil War
, and Indian agent
who was the namesake for Leander Clark College
.
Clark was born July 17, 1823 in Wakeman
, Huron County
, Ohio
, where he spent his childhood on his family's farm
. He was educated in the public schools and at the Academy of Oberlin College
. In 1846 he moved from Ohio to Port Washington, Wisconsin
where he worked as a surveyor
, in a drug store owned by an older brother, and as deputy sheriff. In 1849, he undertook an overland journey to California
to join the Gold Rush
there. In California, he engaged in mining
, packing, and trading, principally in the vicinity of Shasta
and Yreka
. He returned east via sea and the isthmus of Panama
in 1852 after accumulating between $3,000 and $4,000.
In 1852, after his sojourn in California, he settled in Tama County, Iowa
. In 1855 he became a justice of the peace in Tama County, in 1857 he began a four-year term as county judge
, and in 1861 he began a term as the county's representative in the Iowa General Assembly
.
After the outbreak of the Civil War in 1862, he resigned his legislative seat to enlist in the 24th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment
. He enlisted as a private, but was elected captain of his company. He remained in the Army throughout the war, receiving minor wounds at the battles of Champion Hill
(Mississippi
) and Winchester
(Virginia
). He was promoted to major in September 1864 and lieutenant colonel in January 1865, and mustered out in August 1865.
Upon returning to civilian life after the war, he served another term in the General Assembly, and in 1866 became Indian agent
for the Sac and Fox
.
Clark became wealthy through the buying and selling of land
, first in Iowa and later also in the Dakotas
and Missouri
. He also served for many years as president of the Toledo Savings Bank in Toledo
, the county seat
of Tama County where he made his home.
, located in Toledo, announced that it would rename itself in honor of anyone who would donate $50,000 to start an endowment fund to help the school resolve its financial troubles. The following year, Clark responded to this announcement with a promise to donate that amount if the college could raise an additional $100,000 for its permanent endowment before January 1, 1906. The college met that challenge in 1905, due largely to a $50,000 donation from Andrew Carnegie
.
Accordingly, in 1906 Western College changed its name to Leander Clark College
in honor of Clark's efforts to help the school achieve financial stability. In spite of that assistance, the college went bankrupt and merged with Coe College in 1919. After the merger, one of Clark's heir
s filed a lawsuit
asking for return of the funds that Clark had provided to the college. The lawsuit asserted that the college had agreed to operate as an educational institution named for Leander Clark, and that the college breached its contract
with Clark when it ceased to exist under his name. In 1922, the Supreme Court of Iowa
decided the case in favor of the college, finding that the primary purpose of Clark's gift was not to perpetuate his name, but to support education.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
state legislator, Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
officer during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, and Indian agent
Indian agent
In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with Native American tribes on behalf of the U.S. government.-Indian agents:*Leander Clark was agent for the Sac and Fox in Iowa beginning in 1866....
who was the namesake for Leander Clark College
Leander Clark College
Leander Clark College, originally named Western College, was a college in Iowa. It operated from 1857 to 1919, when it was absorbed into Coe College.- History :...
.
Clark was born July 17, 1823 in Wakeman
Wakeman, Ohio
Wakeman is a village in Huron County, Ohio, United States, along the Vermilion River and is named after Jesup Wakeman, an early settler of Fairfield County, Connecticut, who was involved in western land speculation between 1800 and 1840....
, Huron County
Huron County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 59,487 people, 22,307 households, and 16,217 families residing in the county. The population density was 121 people per square mile . There were 23,594 housing units at an average density of 48 per square mile...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, where he spent his childhood on his family's farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
. He was educated in the public schools and at the Academy of Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
. In 1846 he moved from Ohio to Port Washington, Wisconsin
Port Washington, Wisconsin
Port Washington is the county seat of Ozaukee County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The city is about 25 miles north of Milwaukee and 110 miles north of Chicago. In the 2000 census Port Washington had a population of 10,467...
where he worked as a surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
, in a drug store owned by an older brother, and as deputy sheriff. In 1849, he undertook an overland journey to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to join the Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
there. In California, he engaged in mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
, packing, and trading, principally in the vicinity of Shasta
Shasta, California
Shasta is a census-designated place in Shasta County, California. Shasta sits at an elevation of . The 2010 United States census reported Shasta's population was 1,771....
and Yreka
Yreka, California
Yreka is the county seat of Siskiyou County, California, United States. The population was 7,765 at the 2010 census, up from 7,290 at the 2000 census.- History:...
. He returned east via sea and the isthmus of Panama
Isthmus of Panama
The Isthmus of Panama, also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien, is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North and South America. It contains the country of Panama and the Panama Canal...
in 1852 after accumulating between $3,000 and $4,000.
In 1852, after his sojourn in California, he settled in Tama County, Iowa
Tama County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 17,767 in the county, with a population density of . There were 7,766 housing units, of which 6,947 were occupied.-2000 census:...
. In 1855 he became a justice of the peace in Tama County, in 1857 he began a four-year term as county judge
County executive
A county executive is the head of the executive branch of government in a county. This position is common in the United States.The executive may be an elected or an appointed position...
, and in 1861 he began a term as the county's representative in the Iowa General Assembly
Iowa General Assembly
The Iowa General Assembly is the legislative branch of the state government of Iowa. Like the federal United States Congress, the General Assembly is a bicameral body, composed of the upper house Iowa Senate and the lower Iowa House of Representatives respectively...
.
After the outbreak of the Civil War in 1862, he resigned his legislative seat to enlist in the 24th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment
24th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 24th Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 24th Iowa Infantry was organized at Muscatine, Iowa and mustered in for three years of Federal service on September 18, 1862.The regiment was mustered out on...
. He enlisted as a private, but was elected captain of his company. He remained in the Army throughout the war, receiving minor wounds at the battles of Champion Hill
Battle of Champion Hill
The Battle of Champion Hill, or Bakers Creek, fought May 16, 1863, was the pivotal battle in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. Union commander Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and the Army of the Tennessee pursued the retreating Confederate Lt. Gen. John C...
(Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
) and Winchester
Battle of Winchester
The Battle of Winchester may refer to any of a series of military conflicts during the American Civil War, all fought near Winchester, Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley.* Battle of Winchester - during Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign...
(Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
). He was promoted to major in September 1864 and lieutenant colonel in January 1865, and mustered out in August 1865.
Upon returning to civilian life after the war, he served another term in the General Assembly, and in 1866 became Indian agent
Indian agent
In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with Native American tribes on behalf of the U.S. government.-Indian agents:*Leander Clark was agent for the Sac and Fox in Iowa beginning in 1866....
for the Sac and Fox
Meskwaki
The Meskwaki are a Native American people often known to outsiders as the Fox tribe. They have often been closely linked to the Sauk people. In their own language, the Meskwaki call themselves Meshkwahkihaki, which means "the Red-Earths." Historically their homelands were in the Great Lakes region...
.
Clark became wealthy through the buying and selling of land
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
, first in Iowa and later also in the Dakotas
The Dakotas
The Dakotas is a collective term that refers to the U.S. states of North Dakota and South Dakota together. The term has been used historically to describe the Dakota Territory, and is continued to be used to describe the collective heritage, culture, geography, fauna, sociology, the economy, and...
and Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. He also served for many years as president of the Toledo Savings Bank in Toledo
Toledo, Iowa
Toledo is a city in and the county seat of Tama County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,539 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Toledo is located at ....
, the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Tama County where he made his home.
Support for college
In 1902, Western CollegeLeander Clark College
Leander Clark College, originally named Western College, was a college in Iowa. It operated from 1857 to 1919, when it was absorbed into Coe College.- History :...
, located in Toledo, announced that it would rename itself in honor of anyone who would donate $50,000 to start an endowment fund to help the school resolve its financial troubles. The following year, Clark responded to this announcement with a promise to donate that amount if the college could raise an additional $100,000 for its permanent endowment before January 1, 1906. The college met that challenge in 1905, due largely to a $50,000 donation from Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
.
Accordingly, in 1906 Western College changed its name to Leander Clark College
Leander Clark College
Leander Clark College, originally named Western College, was a college in Iowa. It operated from 1857 to 1919, when it was absorbed into Coe College.- History :...
in honor of Clark's efforts to help the school achieve financial stability. In spite of that assistance, the college went bankrupt and merged with Coe College in 1919. After the merger, one of Clark's heir
Inheritance
Inheritance is the practice of passing on property, titles, debts, rights and obligations upon the death of an individual. It has long played an important role in human societies...
s filed a lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
asking for return of the funds that Clark had provided to the college. The lawsuit asserted that the college had agreed to operate as an educational institution named for Leander Clark, and that the college breached its contract
Breach of contract
Breach of contract is a legal cause of action in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party's performance....
with Clark when it ceased to exist under his name. In 1922, the Supreme Court of Iowa
Iowa Supreme Court
The Iowa Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Iowa. As constitutional head of the Iowa Judicial Branch, the Court is composed of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices....
decided the case in favor of the college, finding that the primary purpose of Clark's gift was not to perpetuate his name, but to support education.