John Clarke

John Clarke (July 29, 1797 – February 3, 1876), also spelled Clark, was an American businessman, farmer, and politician. He served in the Michigan Senate in the early years of Michigan's statehood, and later in the Michigan House of Representatives. Early life and travels John Clarke was born in Bath, Maine, on July 29, 1797. He was the son of George Collins Clarke, a ship-builder and sea captain, and Mary McDonald. He left school at age 15 to become a clerk in a store in Augusta, Maine, and at age 18 his physician suggested he travel to help improve his poor health. The War of 1812 had just ended and it was again safe to travel, so Clarke sailed to Bremen, Germany. He traveled through Germany, England, and Scotland, before embarking for Boston aboard the ship Ellington along with his uncle. The ship foundered during a gale in the mid-Atlantic, and the passengers and crew were forced into the ship's small boats for three days. A Scottish brig picked them up, and they stayed on it for three more days before the James Madison arrived to deliver them to Philadelphia 32 days later. In Philadelphia, he was separated from his uncle and wandered for three days with no money or food before his uncle found him and paid for him to return home. He worked again as a clerk in a store in Hallowell, Maine, before moving to Belfast, Maine, in 1818, and operating a mercantile business.