Justice Tom C. Clark
(Sep 23, 1899 – Jun 13, 1977)

Occupation: Attorney, US Supreme Court Justice.
Education: University of Texas School of Law in 1922.
Interred: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia
Lodge affiliation:

Justice Clark was born in Dallas, Texas, on September 23, 1899. A graduate of Dallas High School, he served as a Texas National Guard infantryman in 1918; afterward, he studied law, receiving his law degree from the University of Texas School of Law in 1922. He was a brother of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity, and later served as their international president. He set up a law practice in Dallas from 1922 to 1937, but left private practice for a period to serve as civil district attorney for the city from 1927 to 1932. Clark joined the Justice Department in 1937 as a special assistant to the U.S. Attorney General. In 1943, Clark was promoted to Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust and subsequently became the head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. Clark also was appointed to head up a new War Frauds unit created to investigate and prosecute corruption by government contractors. During this period he worked closely with, and befriended Harry Truman, whose Truman Committee was investigating war frauds. When he assumed office, one of President Truman's first changes in the cabinet that he inherited from Franklin Roosevelt was his appointment of Tom Clark as attorney general in 1945.

After playing an active role in the effort to reelect Truman in 1948, Clark prepared to return to Texas and the practice of law. Following the sudden death of Supreme Court Justice Frank Murphy, however, Truman nominated Clark to fill the vacancy. Justice Clark served until June 12, 1967 when he assumed senior status, effectively retiring from the Supreme Court. He did so to avoid a conflict of interest when his son, Ramsey Clark, was appointed Attorney General. He was succeeded on the Court by Thurgood Marshall.