Tom C. Clark

Tom C. Clark
Official portrait of Clark, 1956
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
In office August 24, 1949 – June 12, 1967[1]
Nominated by	Harry S. Truman
Preceded by	Frank Murphy
Succeeded by	Thurgood Marshall
59th United States Attorney General
In office June 27, 1945 – July 26, 1949
President	Harry S. Truman
Preceded by	Francis Biddle
Succeeded by	Howard McGrath
United States Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division
In office October 3, 1943 – June 21, 1945
President	Franklin D. Roosevelt Harry S. Truman
Preceded by	Wendell Berge
Succeeded by	Theron Caudle
Personal details
Born	Thomas Campbell Clark (1899-09-23)September 23, 1899 Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Died	June 13, 1977(1977-06-13) (aged 77) New York City, U.S.
Resting place	Restland Memorial Park
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Mary Ramsey ​ (m. 1924)​
Children	3, including Ramsey
Education	University of Texas at Austin (BA, LLB)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States National Guard
Unit	Texas National Guard
Battles/wars	World War I

Thomas Campbell Clark (September 23, 1899 – June 13, 1977) was an American lawyer who served as the 59th United States Attorney General from 1945 to 1949 and as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1949 to 1967.

Clark was born in Dallas, Texas, and graduated from the University of Texas School of Law after serving in World War I. He practiced law in Dallas until 1937, when he accepted a position in the U.S. Department of Justice. After Harry S. Truman became President of the United States in 1945, he chose Clark as his Attorney General. In 1949, Truman successfully nominated Clark to fill the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy caused by the death of Associate Justice Frank Murphy, making Clark the first and, as of 2024, the only Supreme Court Justice from the state of Texas. Clark remained on the Court until his retirement to allow his son, Ramsey Clark, to assume the position of Attorney General. Clark was succeeded by the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall, in October 1967.

Clark served on the Vinson Court and the Warren Court. He voted with the Court's majority in several cases concerning racial segregation, including the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education. He wrote the majority opinion in landmark Mapp v. Ohio, which ruled that the Fourth Amendment prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures applies to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment. He also wrote the majority opinion in Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States, which upheld the public accommodations provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the majority opinions in Garner v. Board of Public Works, Joseph Burstyn, Inc. v. Wilson, and Abington School District v. Schempp.