Clark, Hon. Angus Marion

A. M. Clark, born in Madison County, Mississippi, on August 25, 1831, was an early pioneer who dedicated his life to advancing the interests of California. He traveled to the Pacific Coast in 1850 to join his father, Angus Archibald Clark, and spent sixteen years working in the mining camps of Nevada County. Moving to Fresno County in 1867, he spent six years copper mining at Buchanan before his fellow citizens elected him to the offices of county clerk and recorder in 1873. In this official capacity, he moved the county records from Millerton to Fresno in 1874 and assisted in laying the cornerstone of the new courthouse. He eventually served eleven years as county clerk, built an abstract firm with W. H. McKenzie, and acquired a controlling interest in the Fresno Loan and Savings Bank.

Mr. Clark expanded his public service by winning a seat in the Assembly of the State Legislature in 1885 and serving as a Fresno school trustee and city trustee. He later served several terms as city recorder and Judge of the City Court, while simultaneously maintaining foothill mining investments through the Harrow Gold Mining Company. His personal life included a first marriage to Emma Glidden, with whom he had four children named Ada Belle, Sadie P., Angus, and Frank Marion, followed by a second marriage to Sarah Bemis on December 25, 1882. A prominent Mason and dedicated advocate for public education, he continuously worked to improve local infrastructure and moral standards until his death on December 2, 1907. His extensive civic and commercial leadership left an enduring mark on the development and prosperity of Fresno County.