Clarke, William Penn, 1817-1903.

Attorney, newspaper editor and owner, politician and abolitionist. Clarke owned and edited The State Press (Iowa City). He was leader of Iowa's Free Soil party before becoming a prominent Republican party member. During his time as a Free Soiler he became involved with the Know Nothing political movement which sought to limit the political power of immigrants and Catholics. He served as a secretary at the Pittsburg National Convention at which the Republican party was organized and went on to represent Iowa at the party's 1860 national convention. Other positions held by Clarke included chief clerk for the U.S. Dept. of the Interior and chair of the judiciary committee for Iowa's 1857 Constitutional Convention. During the Civil War he served as an army paymaster after which he moved to Washington, D.C. where he practiced law. An ardent abolitionist, he operated an underground railroad station in Iowa, assisted John Brown's Iowa operations, and supported the antislavery movement in the "Bleeding Kansas" conflict.

From the description of William Penn Clarke correspondence, 1859-1874. (Iowa Sate Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 69257724

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