William Clark
(1831 – 1885)
Marshal - April 6, 1863 – April 5, 1864
(1831 – 1885)
Marshal - April 6, 1863 – April 5, 1864
William Clark was born in New York in 1831 and came to Portland in 1858, while the city was going through a population boom; as people passed through town on their way to the Frasier River goldfields in British Columbia, many of them stayed in Portland. Clark probably worked as a blacksmith after his arrival in Portland, but he had an interest in law enforcement from the start. He began running for City Marshal soon after his arrival, and on his third try, was elected in April of 1863.
Clark appears to have been a successful Marshal reducing the number of fast driving violations and handling the drunks, stabbings, robberies and rare shooting incidents without controversy, except for his strong advocacy for a permanent, and larger, Police force. During his term he dealt with arson at the City Jail, a fire set by an inmate; rescued a child from drowning in the Willamette River; and operated as the City’s lamp inspector (which earned the fee of $2 a night). One of the big cases of Clark’s term in office was the brutal robbery of Dr. Davenport, who was attacked in his bed as he slept and robbed of $1000. Marshal Clark quickly captured two of the thieves and then assisted Sheriff Bob Ladd in arresting Milton Mason, aka Black Hawk, the leader of the gang.
Clark did not run for a second term as Marshal, instead returning to his blacksmith business and volunteering with the Portland Fire Department, station No. 3. He died in 1885 at the age of 54, leaving a wife and two daughters. His funeral was attended by a number of old town residents, firemen, three ex-Fire Chiefs and ex-City Marshal Philip Saunders.
Clark appears to have been a successful Marshal reducing the number of fast driving violations and handling the drunks, stabbings, robberies and rare shooting incidents without controversy, except for his strong advocacy for a permanent, and larger, Police force. During his term he dealt with arson at the City Jail, a fire set by an inmate; rescued a child from drowning in the Willamette River; and operated as the City’s lamp inspector (which earned the fee of $2 a night). One of the big cases of Clark’s term in office was the brutal robbery of Dr. Davenport, who was attacked in his bed as he slept and robbed of $1000. Marshal Clark quickly captured two of the thieves and then assisted Sheriff Bob Ladd in arresting Milton Mason, aka Black Hawk, the leader of the gang.
Clark did not run for a second term as Marshal, instead returning to his blacksmith business and volunteering with the Portland Fire Department, station No. 3. He died in 1885 at the age of 54, leaving a wife and two daughters. His funeral was attended by a number of old town residents, firemen, three ex-Fire Chiefs and ex-City Marshal Philip Saunders.