1222117
John H. Clarke
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From the personal collection of Supreme Court Justice Tom C. Clark
Rare signature of Justice Clarke, who served fewer than six years on the Court
John Hessin Clarke, 1857-1945. Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the United States, 1916-1922. Rare signature, John H. Clarke, clipped from a letter.
This piece has a double attraction: Clarkeʼs autograph is among the rarest of the Justices to find—even rarer from the period of his service on the Supreme Court—and this one comes from the personal collection of another Justice.
Clarke was a progressive Democrat. A lawyer, he also published the Youngstown Vindicator, which he used as a platform from which to air his strongly progressive views. He supported suffrage for women, mandatory civil service, and public disclosure of campaign expenditures. He ran twice unsuccessfully for the United States Senate before President Woodrow Wilson appointed him to the federal trial bench in 1914. Two years later, Wilson appointed him to United States Supreme Court to replace Justice Charles Evans Hughes, who had resigned to accept the 1916 Republican presidential nomination.
But Clarke served fewer than six years on the Supreme Court. He resigned in order to join former Attorney General George Wickersham, a Republican, to create the League of Nations Non-partisan Association, an organization dedicated to promoting American participation in the League of Nations. Clarke was disappointed when the United States refused to join the League. In 1939, he wrote: "The most difficult charges for our political adversaries to answer at the bar of history will be their opposition to…civilization's only process for peaceably settling disputes between nations, and their callous indifference and opposition to civilization's other demand that our neighbors be given at least a modest share in the comforts of life."
This is a nice example of Clarkeʼs signature. It is on an irregularly cut piece that measures roughly 2" x 6". There are paper clip impressions at the left and right and a small stain at the left edge. Overall the piece is in fine condition.
Provenance: This letter comes from the personal collection of Justice Tom C. Clark, who served on the Supreme Court from 1949 until 1967. Justice Clark collected the autographs of other Supreme Court Justices dating back into the 19th Century. We are privileged to offer a number of items from the collection. This one comes with the backing page, which bears the federal eagle watermark and Justice John H. Clarkeʼs typed name, that Justice Clark inserted behind the item in the page protector used to house this letter his collection. This piece is not laid down to the backing sheet, which bears an unrelated notation in another hand.
Unframed. Please ask us about custom framing this piece.
This item has been sold.
