James K. Clark Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1198-1199 in "History of Dakota 
	Territory" by George W. Kingsbury, Vol. IV (1915) and was 
	scanned, OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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				JAMES K. CLARK. 

	James K. Clark, vice president of the Lemmon State Bank, a well 
organized and carefully managed institution of the town of Lemmon, was 
born in Polo, Missouri, August 26, 1881, a son of Robert J. and Sallie 
A. (Moore) Clark, natives of Tennessee and Missouri respectivcly. In 
the latter state they were married, the father having removed to that 
district when a young man. For twenty-five years he was active in 
financial circles as the cashier of the Lawson Bank of Lawson, 
Missouri. Further mention of him is made in connection with the sketch 
of his son, Orson Clark, on another page of this work. 

	James K. Clark was educated in the public schools of Lawson and 
in the Presbyterian College of Upper Missouri, from which he was 
graduated with the class of 1899. He then entered his father's bank, 
acting in the capacity of bookkeeper for nine months. On the expiration 
of that period he went to Oklahoma where he entered into partnership 
with R. P. Nickelson in the cattle business near Bristow, continuing 
his activities along that line for two years. Later he was associated 
with the civil engineering department of the Frisco Railroad, operating 
in southern Missouri, Tennessee and Arkansas. He worked for the 
railroad for about a year and in December, 1903, he located at Evarts, 
South Dakota, where he was made cashier of the Evarts State Bank, 
acting in that capacity until 1906, when ho removed to Seim, this 
state, and organized the Grand River State Bank, of which he remained 
cashier until June, 1907. At that date the bank was removed to Lemmon, 
was subsequently nationalized and merged into the First National Bank. 
In March, 1911, Mr. Clark sold his interest in that institution and for 
six months thereafter, engaged in the real-estate business in 
partnership with B. R. Watt. He then removed to Morristown, South 
Dakota, and purchased an interest in the Morristown State Bank, with 
which he was identified until October 1, 1912, when he disposed of his 
interests there and returned to Lemmon, becoming one of the 
stockholders of the Lemmon State Bank, of which he was elected vice 
president. He is now active in control of this institution and is 
regarded as one of the safe and conservative financiers of his part of 
the state. He also has some land holdings in Perkins county and also in 
Adams county, North Dakota. 

	In November, 1910, Mr. Clark was united in marriage to Miss Donna 
Tripp, of Eyota, Minnesota, by whom he has one child, Floyd O. 
Fraternally he is identified with the Masons, belonging to Lemmon 
Lodge, No. 151, A. F. & A. M., of which he has served for two terms as 
master; Lemmon Chapter, No. 44, R. A. M., of which he served as high 
priest; and the local chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star, of 
which he is the present worthy patron. He is a worthy exemplar of the 
teachings and principles of the craft and is regarded, moreover, as a 
representative business man and valued citizen whose work has been a 
directly beneficial force in bringing about the material progress and 
upbuilding of the city in which he lives.