John Hessin Clarke - Definition and Overview

John Hessin Clarke (September 18, 1857-March 22, 1945)was an American lawyer and judge who served as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1916 to 1922.

Clarke was an Ohio native (born in New Lisbon) who gained a reputation as an able trial lawyer in Youngstown, and then in Cleveland representing corporate and railroad interests. He ran twice unsuccessfully as a Democratic Progressive for the United States Senate. In 1914, Clarke was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio by President Woodrow Wilson, who then elevated Clarke to the Supreme Court two years later after Charles Evans Hughes resigned to accept the Republican nomination for President. Clarke resigned from the Court in just under six years to devote his energy to campaigning for U.S. membership in the League of Nations, a cause that ultimately failed.