Draft:First Lieutenant William Hoskins Clark, Sr.: Difference between revisions

 

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Later Life and Death.

Later Life and Death.

[[File:Head_Stone_First_Lieutenant_William_Hoskins_Clark,_Sr.png|thumb|Head Stone First Lieutenant William Hoskins Clark, Sr., 1972]]<ref>https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3652726/william-h-clark</ref>

[[File:Head_Stone_First_Lieutenant_William_Hoskins_Clark,_Sr.png|thumb|Head Stone First Lieutenant William Hoskins Clark, Sr., 1972]]..

Lieutenant William Clark, Sr. worked in construction in Kansas City, and helped build Bethel AME Church and the Paseo Baptist Church in Kansas City, MO. Clark, Sr. worked in construction until the Great Depression, when he accepted a position in Kansas City, KS directing recreation with the government. Later, he worked for the post office where he retired after 19 years of service.

First Lieutenant William H. Clark, Sr.  married twice.  His first wife Lettie Clark (1896 – unknown) died. Later, Clark married Minnie Fisher Childress Clark (1905 -1991). First Lieutenant William H. Clark, Sr. died in 1972 and left 13 children and 69 grandchildren to mourn his passing. He is buried in [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3652726/william-h-clark Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery], Section P, site 3064, Leavenworth, KS.

First Lieutenant William H. Clark, Sr.  married twice.  His first wife Lettie Clark (1896 – unknown) died. Later, Clark married Minnie Fisher Childress Clark (1905 -1991). First Lieutenant William H. Clark, Sr. died in 1972 and left 13 children and 69 grandchildren to mourn his passing. He is buried in [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3652726/william-h-clark Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery], Section P, site 3064, Leavenworth, KS.

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First Lieutenant William H. Clark, Sr. (19 May1891- 16 February 1972) was an American soldier whom commanded Company A, 1st Battalion of the 366th Infantry (circa 1917-1919) during the First World War. The 366th Infantry fought along side the 92nd Buffalo Division in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, and Lieutenant William H. Clark, Sr. was one of the few Black leaders during that time period. Lieutenant Clark, Sr. gave the final order of World War I to Private Wayne Miner (Minor) to carry ammunition to American units at a machine gun outpost ^[1] . Forty-eight years later, First Lieutenant William H. Clark, Sr. received the Silver Star Medal in 1966.

Early Life

Born in Lexington, Mississippi to Mr. and Mrs. R.H.I. Clark on the 19th of May 1891, William H. Clark, Sr. attended the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama at the age of 16 to study architecture. Under the administration of Booker T. Washington, William Clark, Sr. assisted Dr. George Washington Carver with experiments. Clark, Sr. graduated in 1909. With experience in the Tuskegee Reserve Officers Training Corps, Clark, Sr. was sent to train in Fort Des Moines Black Officers Training Camp in Iowa after graduation. In October 1917, William H. Clark, Sr. was commissioned First Lieutenant of the 366th Infantry^{[2] [3]}.

Service During the War

First Lieutenant William H. Clark, Sr. participated in defensive and offensive engagements during World War 1. The two defensive engagements were in Vosges Mountains in Lorraine, France with over 30,000 Black combatant troops. The two offensive engagements were one in Argonne, France and the other in Metz in northeastern France close to the border of France and Germany. ^[4]November 11, 1918, the last day of fighting, Clark, Sr. injured in a gas attack and by shrapnel, was taken to hospital in Tours, France

Why Did it Take 48 Years?

The injuries Lieutenant William H. Clark, Sr. suffered from gas and shrapnel were exacerbated by influenza which caused a prolonged separation from his company.  The 3/16″ silver Citation Star was sent to 1st Battalion of the 366th Infantry, but Clark, Sr. was not there to receive it. Lieutenant Clark, Sr. was flown home after the war and was not reunited with the 366th 1st Battalion. Thus, Clark, Sr. was unaware of the commendation for years.

Lieutenant Clark, Sr. returned to his home in Arkansas and was distraught after witnessing a hanging of a Black man in Little Rock. This was the impetus to move his family from Arkansas. In 1921, Clark, Sr. attended a national convention of the American Legion in Kansas City, KS and decided to live there ^[5]. One of his children noticed Clark, Sr.’s name in  Scott’s Official History of the American Negro in the World War which stated Clark, Sr. was awarded a commendation for his service ^[6]. This was the first time Lieutenant Clark, Sr. was aware of the commendation.

Lieutenant William Clark, Sr. tried many times to get the Silver Star Medal delivered to him. In October 1966, 48 years later, Clark received the third highest military award for gallantry in action or valor in combat ^[7].

Later Life and Death.

Lieutenant William Clark, Sr. worked in construction in Kansas City, and helped build Bethel AME Church and the Paseo Baptist Church in Kansas City, MO. Clark, Sr. worked in construction until the Great Depression, when he accepted a position in Kansas City, KS directing recreation with the government. Later, he worked for the post office where he retired after 19 years of service.

First Lieutenant William H. Clark, Sr.  married twice.  His first wife Lettie Clark (1896 – unknown) died. Later, Clark married Minnie Fisher Childress Clark (1905 -1991). First Lieutenant William H. Clark, Sr. died in 1972 and left 13 children and 69 grandchildren to mourn his passing. He is buried in Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery, Section P, site 3064, Leavenworth, KS.

“United States, World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918”, FamilySearch(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:4PWL-VN2M : Fri Oct 31 11:08:55 UTC 2025), Entry for William Hoskins Clark, from 1917 to 1918.

“United States, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942”, FamilySearch(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKV3-JFZ9 : Mon Apr 28 21:51:09 UTC 2025), Entry for William Hoskins Clark and N C Nixon, 27 Apr 1942

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3652726/william-h-clark

https://www.iowapbs.org/iowapathways/mypath/2514/black-officers-fort-des-moines-world-war-i.

Ross, M. (1966, Nov 18). Silver star catches up with world war 1 vet in KCK 48 years later. The Call (1933-) Retrieved from https://kclibrary.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/silver-star-catches-up-with-world-war-1-vet-kck/docview/2888667152/se-2

https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/605394/?offset=0#page=245&viewer=picture&o=download&n=0&q=clark

Mattox, JoeLouis (Autumn 2007). “RAISING PRIVATE MINER: ELEVATING THE RANK OF THE GREAT WAR’S LAST FALLEN” (PDF). Jackson County Historical Society Journal: 3–9. Retrieved March 11, 2023.

Argonne post no. 217 elects W. H. clark president. (1968, May 10). The Call (1933-) Retrieved from https://kclibrary.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/argonne-post-no-217-elects-w-h-clark-president/docview/2883396222/se-2