Wesley Clark | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, c. 1997–2000 | |
| Birth name | Wesley J. Kanne |
| Born | December 23, 1944 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1966–2000 |
| Rank |  General |
| Commands | Supreme Allied Commander Europe United States Southern Command |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | See all |
| Alma mater | United States Military Academy (BS) Magdalen College, Oxford (BA) U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (MMAS) |
| Spouse(s) |
Gertrude Kingston (m. 1967) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | http://wesleykclark.com/ |
Wesley Kanne Clark (born Wesley J. Kanne, December 23, 1944) is a retired United States Army officer. He graduated as valedictorian of the class of 1966 at West Point and was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford, where he obtained a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. He later graduated from the Command and General Staff College with a master's degree in military science. He commanded an infantry company in the Vietnam War, where he was shot four times and awarded a Silver Star for gallantry in combat. Clark served as the Supreme Allied Commander Europe of NATO from 1997 to 2000, commanding Operation Allied Force during the Kosovo War. He spent 34 years in the U.S. Army, receiving many military decorations, several honorary knighthoods, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
In 2003, Clark launched his candidacy for the 2004 Democratic Party presidential primaries. After winning only the Oklahoma state primary, he withdrew from the race in February 2004, endorsing and campaigning for the eventual Democratic nominee, John Kerry. Clark leads a political action committee, "WesPAC", which he formed after the 2004 primaries[1][2] and used to support Democratic Party candidates in the 2006 midterm elections.[3] Clark was considered a potential candidate for the Democratic nomination in 2008, but, on September 15, 2007, endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton.[4] After Clinton dropped out of the presidential race, Clark endorsed the then-presumptive Democratic nominee, Barack Obama.[5]
Clark has his own consulting firm, Wesley K. Clark and Associates, and is chairman and CEO of Enverra, a licensed boutique investment bank.[6] He has worked with over 100 private and public companies on energy, security, and financial services. Clark is engaged in business in North America, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia. Between July 2012 and November 2015, he was an honorary special advisor to Romanian prime minister Victor Ponta on economic and security matters.[7][8]
- ^ "WesPAC – Securing America". Archived from the original on September 22, 2006. Retrieved November 2, 2006.
- ^ "WesPAC History". Archived from the original on November 4, 2006. Retrieved November 2, 2006.
- ^ "List of all endorsed candidates". Securing America. Archived from the original on November 4, 2006. Retrieved November 16, 2006.
- ^ Fouhy, Beth (September 16, 2007). "Wesley Clark Endorses Hillary Clinton". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Retrieved December 18, 2007.
- ^ Clark, Wesley (June 6, 2008). "Unite Behind Barack Obama". Securing America. Archived from the original on June 15, 2008. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
- ^ "Enverra - Always Invested". Retrieved October 2, 2020.
- ^ Press statements by PM Victor Ponta and General Wesley K. Clark appointed as Special Adviser to Prime Minister on security and economic strategy matters, at the end of the Executive meeting Archived October 24, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Retired US General Wesley Clark becomes an adviser to Romania's PM Victor Ponta". Romania-Insider.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2012.