| James Waddey Clark | |
| Birth Date: | December 8, 1877 |
| Birth Place: | Allisona, Williamson County, Tennessee |
| Death Date: | February 24, 1939 |
| Death Place: | Denison, Texas |
| Other Names: | James W. Clark; J. W. Clark |
| Occupation: | Merchant; Politician; Attorney; Judge |
| Years Active: | 1910-1933 |
| Known For: | Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court from 1925 to 1933. |
James Waddey "J.W." Clark (December 8, 1877 – February 24, 1939) was a justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court from 1925 to 1933. He was born in Allisona, Williamson County, Tennessee to Joseph Poindexter and Cora Belle Waddey.[1] [2] After finishing public school, James became a traveling salesman, then went into the mercantile business, and finally went into business for himself. He took a course in law in 1907 and 1908, then enrolled in Cumberland University (Lebanon, Tennessee) in 1909. By 1910, he had opened a law practice and won election to the Oklahoma legislature. In 1912, he was elected County Attorney for Atoka County, Oklahoma and was reelected after his first two-year term expired. In 1917, he returned to private law practice in Atoka, where he remained until he won election to the Oklahoma Supreme Court in 1924, filling a vacancy and taking office in 1925. He was reelected for a full 6-year term in 1926.[2]
In 1929, the Oklahoma Legislature attempted to impeach Clark, with the Oklahoma House of Representatives voting out eleven impeachment charges against Clark alleging corruption; however, he was acquitted by one vote in the Oklahoma Senate, and served out the remainder of his term.[3] [4] After returning to private practice for a time, Clark again ran for a seat on the court in 1938,[5] but was not elected.
Justice Clark married Anna Paullin in Durant, Oklahoma on May 1, 1917. They had four children: Ann Virginia (b. September 27, 1917); Jim (b. November 6, 1920); Mary Louise (b. October 1, 1924); John Marshall (b. October 12, 1926).[2]
Clark died in Denison, Texas, where he had been hospitalized for a kidney ailment.[6]