David Clarke | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:David_Clarke_by_Gage_Skidmore_2.jpg) Clarke in 2017 | |
| 64th Sheriff of Milwaukee County | |
| In office March 19, 2002 – August 31, 2017 | |
| Appointed by | Scott McCallum |
| Preceded by | Leverett F. Baldwin |
| Succeeded by | Richard Schmidt (acting) Earnell R. Lucas (elected) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | David Alexander Clarke Jr. August 21, 1956 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic[A] |
| Other political affiliations | Republican[B] |
| Spouse |
Julie Clarke
(m. 1996; div. 2018) |
| Education | Concordia University Wisconsin (BA) Naval Postgraduate School (MA) |
David Alexander Clarke Jr. (born August 21, 1956) is an American former law enforcement official who served as Sheriff of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, from 2002 to 2017.
In 2002, Clarke was appointed to the position by Republican governor Scott McCallum and later elected that same year to his first four-year term. He was reelected in November 2006, 2010 and 2014. Although Clarke declared himself as a Democrat after his appointment as sheriff and ran as a Democrat in a heavily Democratic county, many of Clarke's political views align with those of conservative Republicans; he refused to join the Wisconsin Democratic Party, instead promoting conservative views, and allying himself with Republican officials.
As sheriff, Clarke frequently clashed with other Milwaukee County officials over the budget and other matters, and came under scrutiny for deaths and alleged mistreatment of jail inmates. One man died of thirst in what a coroner ruled was a homicide, and pregnant women were handcuffed and shackled while undergoing labor. Clarke frequently appeared as a guest on Fox News through February 2018 and was a speaker at the 2016 Republican National Convention. He resigned as sheriff in August 2017. A vocal supporter of President Donald Trump, Clarke garnered attention for controversial and sometimes inflammatory social-media posts, and was considered for a role in the Trump administration. After resigning as sheriff, Clarke joined the pro-Trump super PAC America First Action as a spokesman and senior advisor; he left the group in 2019.
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