| Clark Bissell | |
| Order: | 34th |
| Office: | Governor of Connecticut |
| Term Start: | May 5, 1847 |
| Term End: | May 2, 1849 |
| Lieutenant: | Charles J. McCurdy |
| Predecessor: | Isaac Toucey |
| Successor: | Joseph Trumbull |
| Office2: | Member of the Connecticut Senate from the 12th district |
| Term Start2: | 1842 |
| Term End2: | 1844 |
| Predecessor2: | Joshua Ferris |
| Successor2: | Darius Mead |
| Office3: | Member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from Norwalk |
| Term Start3: | 1829 |
| Term End3: | 1830 |
| Predecessor3: | Benjamin Isaacs, Samuel B. Warren |
| Successor3: | Thaddeus Betts, Eli Bennett |
| Alongside3: | Charles Wiley Taylor |
| Term Start4: | 1841 |
| Term End4: | 1842 |
| Predecessor4: | Algernon Beard, Joseph W. Hubbell |
| Successor4: | Henry Selleck, Matthew Wilcox |
| Alongside4: | Henry Selleck |
| Term Start5: | 1850 |
| Term End5: | 1851 |
| Predecessor5: | Gould D. Jennings, William H. Benedict |
| Successor5: | Ebenezer Hill, Henry M. Prowitt |
| Alongside5: | Algernon Beard |
| Birth Date: | 7 September 1782 |
| Birth Place: | Lebanon, Connecticut |
| Restingplace: | Union Cemetery, Norwalk, Connecticut |
| Spouse: | Sally Sherwood Bissell |
| Children: | 6 |
| Alma Mater: | Yale College |
| Profession: | Lawyer, politician |
| Party: | Whig |
| Signature: | Clark Bissell professor of law Yale and Governor of Connecticut (signature).jpg |
Clark Bissell (September 7, 1782 – September 15, 1857) was the 34th governor of Connecticut. He served as an associate justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court from 1829 to 1839. He had previously served as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives representing Norwalk and the Connecticut Senate representing the 12th District.
Bissell was born in Lebanon, Connecticut on September 7, 1782. He studied at Yale College and graduated in 1806. He then studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1809. He married Sally Sherwood and they had six children.
Becoming a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1829, Bissell was re-elected in 1841, and served in the Connecticut Senate from 1842 to 1843. He also succeeded Jeremiah G. Brainard as an associate judge of the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors from 1829 to 1839.[1]
Bissell ran unsuccessfully for the Connecticut governorship in 1846. However, he was elected in 1847 as Governor of Connecticut and was re-elected in 1848. During his term, he advocated for reform in education, taxes, and liquor prohibition, however, only insignificant legislation was passed. He vetoed a resolution on divorce, and it was looked upon as sabotaging the legislature's power. Because of this, he was not renominated for the 1849 election.[2]
After completing his term as the Governor, Bissell continued as a Professor of Law at Yale University, a position he was appointed to during his governorship. He also served in the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1850.
Bissell died on September 15, 1857. He is interred at Norwalk Union Cemetery, Norwalk, Connecticut.[3]