Clark, Tom C.

Clark, Tom C.

▪ American jurist
original name  Thomas Campbell Clark  
born Sept. 23, 1899, Dallas, Texas, U.S.
died June 13, 1977, New York, N.Y.

      U.S. attorney general (1945–49) and associate justice of the United States Supreme Court (1949–67).

      Clark studied law after serving in the U.S. Army during World War I and graduated from the University of Texas law school in 1922 to enter private practice in Dallas. He served as civil district attorney for the county and became heavily involved in Democratic Party politics. In 1937 he joined the U.S. Department of Justice as a special assistant and remained with the department for eight years, working primarily on antitrust and war-fraud cases. In 1945 President Harry S. Truman appointed him attorney general, in which capacity he gained a reputation for vigorous antisubversive programs and the broadening of FBI powers. In 1949 he was appointed to the Supreme Court by Truman. On the court he maintained his strong views on the question of subversive activities, evident in Irvine v. California (1954) and Breithaupt v. Abram (1957), as well as in his dissents in the 1960s.

      Although often at odds with the liberal majority under Chief Justice Earl Warren, Clark was nonetheless a frequent supporter of civil liberties. In the famous Mapp v. Ohio (1961) decision, Clark wrote the majority opinion that evidence obtained by illegal seizure could not be used in state courts, thereby greatly broadening the constitutional protection available to defendants. In School District of Abington v. Schempp (1963), Clark wrote the majority opinion that prohibited the reading of the Bible in public schools. His three 1964 civil-rights opinions, Anderson v. Martin, Heart of Alabama Motel, Inc. v. United States, and Hamm v. Rock Hill, provided the foundation for many subsequent civil-rights legal battles. Clark resigned from the court in 1967 upon the appointment of his son, Ramsey Clark, as attorney general.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Clark, Tom — orig. Thomas Campbell born Sept. 23, 1899, Dallas, Texas, U.S. died June 13, 1977, New York, N.Y. U.S. jurist. He studied law at the University of Texas and entered private practice in Dallas. As a civil district attorney, he became involved in… …   Universalium

  • Clark, Tom — orig. Thomas Campbell (23 sep. 1899, Dallas, Texas, EE.UU.–13 jun. 1977, Nueva York, N.Y.). Jurista estadounidense. Estudió derecho en la Universidad de Texas y se dedicó al ejercicio privado de la profesión en Dallas. Como fiscal de distrito… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Clark, Tom Campbell — (1899 1977)    Born in Dallas, Texas, Tom Clark briefly served in the Texas National Guard in 1918 before attending the University of Texas. He graduated from law school in 1922 and practiced law in Dallas until 1927, when he became the city’s… …   Historical Dictionary of the Roosevelt–Truman Era

  • Tom C. Clark — Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court In office August 19, 1949[1] – June 12, 1967 …   Wikipedia

  • John Clark (Tom Clancy) — John Terrence Clark (nombre real John Terence Kelly) es un personaje ficticio creado por Tom Clancy que aparece en muchas de sus novelas. Es un irlandés estadounidense y además católico. Su sobrenombre en la naval es Snake, y se le es reconocido… …   Wikipedia Español

  • John Clark (Tom Clancy character) — John Clark (real name John Terrence Kelly) is a fictional character created by Tom Clancy who appears in many of Clancy s novels. He is an Irish American Catholic.Infobox character colour = #DEDEE2 name = John Terrence (Kelly) Clark caption =… …   Wikipedia

  • Clark — Clark, Alvan Clark, John Maurice Clark, Mark Wayne * * * (as used in expressions) Clark Fork, río Clark, Champ James Beauchamp Clark Clark, Dick Richard Wagstaff Clark Clark, George Rogers …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • tom — /tom/, n. 1. the male of various animals, as the turkey. 2. a tomcat. [1755 65; generic use of TOM] * * * (as used in expressions) Clancy Tom Clark Tom Cruise Tom Hanks Tom Kilburn Tom Mboya Tom Mix Tom Stoppard Sir Tom Watson Tom Wolfe Tom * * * …   Universalium

  • Tom — /tom/, n., v., Tommed, Tomming. n. 1. See Uncle Tom. 2. a male given name, form of Thomas. v.i. 3. (often l.c.) to act like an Uncle Tom. * * * (as used in expressions) Clancy Tom Clark Tom Cruise Tom Hanks Tom Kilburn Tom Mboya Tom Mix Tom… …   Universalium

  • Clark — /klahrk/, n. 1. Alvan, 1804 87, and his son Alvan Graham, 1832 97, U.S. astronomers and telescope lens manufacturers. 2. Champ /champ/, (James Beauchamp), 1850 1921, U.S. political leader: Speaker of the House 1911 19. 3. (Charles) Joseph (Joe),… …   Universalium

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