Russell Gentry Clark Explained

Russell Gentry Clark
Office:Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
Term Start:August 1, 1991
Term End:July 31, 2000
Office1:Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
Term Start1:1980
Term End1:1985
Predecessor1:Elmo Bolton Hunter
Successor1:Scott Olin Wright
Office2:Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
Term Start2:July 5, 1977
Term End2:August 1, 1991
Appointer2:Jimmy Carter
Predecessor2:William H. Becker
Successor2:Fernando J. Gaitan Jr.
Birth Name:Russell Gentry Clark
Birth Date:27 July 1925
Birth Place:Oregon County, Missouri
Death Place:Springfield, Missouri
Education:University of Missouri School of Law (LLB)

Russell Gentry Clark (July 27, 1925 – April 17, 2003) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri.

Education and career

Born in Oregon County, Missouri, Clark was a lieutenant in the United States Army during World War II, from 1944 to 1946, and later received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law (now the University of Missouri School of Law) in 1952. He was in private practice in Springfield, Missouri from 1952 to 1977.

Federal judicial service

On June 13, 1977, Clark was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri vacated by Judge William H. Becker. Clark was confirmed by the United States Senate on July 1, 1977, and received his commission on July 5, 1977. He served as Chief Judge from 1980 to 1985, and assumed senior status on August 1, 1991. Clark retired completely from the bench on July 31, 2000.

Notable case

Clark ordered tax increases to come up with the massive amounts of money he ordered to be spent by the Kansas City school district in the case of Missouri v. Jenkins. Starting with his order "federal judges ordered more than $2 billion in new spending by the school district to encourage desegregation."[1]

Death

He died on April 17, 2003, in Springfield.

See also

History of Kansas City

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 1998-03-16. Money and School Performance: Lessons from the Kansas City Desegregation Experiment. 2020-10-11. Cato Institute. en.