Sidney Clarke (acting)

Dates in office: November 11, 1889-November 27, 1889
Born: October 16, 1831
Died: June 18, 1909

 Born to an Abolitionist family in Massachusetts, Sidney Clarke had a long history of public service. He moved to Kansas in 1859 and soon after became a three-term United States Representative for the state. Clarke became a lobbyist for the Boomer movement, arguing in favor of the opening of land in Indian Territory for settlement. Coming to Oklahoma soon after the Land Run of 1889, Clarke was one of the first City Council members as well as President of the City Council. He took the office of Acting Mayor after William Couch resigned on November 11, 1889 just long enough to hold an election. After serving as Acting Mayor, he returned to the United States Congress, this time representing Oklahoma Territory, and was a leader in the movement for Oklahoma’s statehood. 

Clarke served on local committees, including the Carnegie Library Board and the Oklahoma Historical Society, until his death in 1909.