Ramsey Clark

Ramsey Clark
Born	William Ramsey Clark 18 12, 1927
Birthplace	Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Died	Template:Death date and age New York City, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Lawyer, activist, government official
Known for	66th United States Attorney General; civil rights and civil liberties advocacy; post-government legal activism
Education	University of Chicago Law School (J.D.)
Children	2

William Ramsey Clark (December 18, 1927 – April 9, 2021) was an American lawyer, political activist, and federal government official who served as the 66th United States Attorney General from 1967 to 1969 under President Lyndon B. Johnson. The son of former Supreme Court Justice Tom C. Clark, Ramsey Clark rose through the ranks of the United States Department of Justice, serving first as Assistant Attorney General (1961–1965) and then as Deputy Attorney General (1965–1967) before his appointment to the nation's top law enforcement post. As Attorney General, he played a central role in the enforcement of federal civil rights laws and was instrumental in the drafting of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968. He was a vigorous opponent of the death penalty and an aggressive enforcer of antitrust laws. After leaving government in 1969, Clark embarked on a decades-long career as a progressive activist and defense attorney, representing a series of internationally controversial clients including Saddam Hussein, Slobodan Milošević, Charles Taylor, and Muammar Gaddafi. His post-government career generated substantial praise from civil liberties advocates and sharp criticism from others who viewed his client choices as an endorsement of authoritarian regimes. He was the last surviving Cabinet member of the Johnson administration at the time of his death.

Early Life

William Ramsey Clark was born on December 18, 1927, in Dallas, Texas, into a prominent legal and political family. His father, Tom C. Clark, would go on to serve as United States Attorney General under President Harry S. Truman from 1945 to 1949, and subsequently as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1949 to 1967. The elder Clark's career in law and public service cast a long shadow over the family, and Ramsey Clark grew up immersed in the culture of American jurisprudence and Democratic Party politics.

Clark served in the United States Marine Corps from 1945 to 1946, during the final period of World War II and its immediate aftermath. Following his military service, he pursued higher education and a career in law.

The Clark family's deep roots in the American legal establishment shaped Ramsey Clark's early outlook. His father's trajectory—from Texas lawyer to the nation's top law enforcement officer and then to the Supreme Court—provided both a model and, eventually, a constitutional complication. When Lyndon Johnson nominated Ramsey Clark as Attorney General in 1967, his father, Tom C. Clark, retired from the Supreme Court to avoid conflicts of interest, a decision that underscored the unusual nature of a father and son both having held the position of Attorney General.

Education

Clark attended the University of Chicago Law School, where he earned his Juris Doctor degree in 1951. The University of Chicago's law program, known for its rigorous academic environment and emphasis on interdisciplinary approaches to legal study, provided Clark with a strong intellectual foundation. After completing his legal education, he entered private legal practice in Texas before being drawn into federal government service.

Career

Department of Justice under Kennedy and Johnson

Clark began his career in the federal government in 1961 when President John F. Kennedy appointed him as Assistant Attorney General for the Lands Division (later renamed the Environment and Natural Resources Division) of the Department of Justice. He served in this capacity from 1961 to 1965, overseeing the division's work under both Kennedy and, after Kennedy's assassination in November 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson.

In January 1965, Johnson elevated Clark to the position of Deputy Attorney General, the second-ranking official in the Department of Justice. Clark succeeded Nicholas Katzenbach, who had been promoted to Attorney General. In his role as Deputy Attorney General, Clark was deeply involved in the Johnson administration's civil rights agenda. He supervised the drafting of the landmark Voting Rights Act of 1965, which aimed to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote as guaranteed under the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Clark served as Deputy Attorney General until March 1967, when he was succeeded by Warren Christopher, who would later serve as United States Secretary of State.

Attorney General of the United States

On November 28, 1966, President Johnson designated Clark as acting Attorney General, and he was formally sworn in as the 66th Attorney General of the United States on March 10, 1967. His appointment was notable in part because it prompted his father, Supreme Court Justice Tom C. Clark, to retire from the bench in order to avoid potential conflicts of interest between the executive and judicial branches of government.

As Attorney General, Clark distinguished himself through several defining positions and actions. He was a firm opponent of the death penalty, a stance that placed him at odds with many in the law enforcement community and among conservative political figures. During his tenure, the federal government did not carry out any executions, and Clark became one of the most prominent American public figures to argue against the practice on both moral and practical grounds.

Clark was an aggressive supporter of civil liberties and civil rights. He oversaw the enforcement of federal civil rights legislation during a period of significant social upheaval in the United States, marked by the civil rights movement, urban unrest, and the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in April 1968. Following King's assassination, Clark played a leading role in the federal government's response, working to maintain order while upholding constitutional protections.

He supervised the drafting and passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, also known as the Fair Housing Act, which prohibited discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin, and sex. This legislation represented one of the final major legislative achievements of the civil rights era.

Clark also directed the Department of Justice's enforcement of federal antitrust laws, pursuing cases against corporate consolidation and anti-competitive practices. His approach to antitrust enforcement reflected the broader progressive economic philosophy of the Johnson administration.

During the height of the Vietnam War and the growing anti-war movement, Clark's Justice Department was involved in the prosecution of anti-draft activists. In January 1968, Dr. Benjamin Spock, the prominent pediatrician and author, and the Rev. William Sloane Coffin Jr., chaplain of Yale University, were among five men indicted for conspiring to counsel, aid, and abet resistance to the military draft. The case became one of the most prominent political trials of the era and reflected the tensions within the Johnson administration between its law enforcement obligations and the growing domestic opposition to the war.

Clark's tenure as Attorney General ended on January 20, 1969, with the inauguration of President Richard Nixon. He was succeeded by John N. Mitchell.

Post-Government Activism and Legal Career

After leaving government, Clark underwent a significant transformation in his public profile, shifting from establishment liberal to outspoken critic of American foreign and domestic policy. He became involved in a wide range of progressive causes and international legal campaigns that often placed him in opposition to the positions of the United States government, regardless of which party held the White House.

Clark was a vocal opponent of American military interventions and what he characterized as the overreach of U.S. foreign policy. He emerged as a critic of U.S. sanctions and military actions in Iraq, the Balkans, and elsewhere. He traveled extensively, visiting countries in conflict and meeting with foreign leaders whom the U.S. government had designated as adversaries.

One of the most distinctive—and controversial—aspects of Clark's post-government career was his willingness to provide legal representation to internationally notorious figures. He offered legal advice or participated in the defense of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, who faced trial before the Iraqi Special Tribunal and was ultimately executed in 2006. Clark served on Hussein's defense team, arguing that the tribunal lacked legitimacy and that the proceedings were fundamentally unfair.

Clark also offered his services to former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milošević, who faced war crimes charges at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague. Clark participated in efforts related to Milošević's defense and was associated with organizations that challenged the legitimacy of the tribunal.

Additionally, Clark represented or provided legal counsel to former Liberian President Charles Taylor, who was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and to Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. He also represented Lyndon LaRouche, the perennial American political candidate and conspiracy theorist who was convicted of fraud and tax evasion charges in 1988.

Clark was associated with the International Action Center, a progressive activist organization founded in 1992 that opposed U.S. military interventions and economic sanctions. The organization served as a platform for many of Clark's anti-war and anti-imperialism activities in the 1990s and 2000s.

He was a vocal opponent of the War on Terror launched by the administration of President George W. Bush following the September 11 attacks in 2001. Clark argued that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were illegal under international law and that the civil liberties restrictions imposed domestically in the name of national security were unconstitutional. In a January 2005 interview on Democracy Now!, Clark articulated his opposition to the Iraq War and the broader foreign policy direction of the United States.

Clark also engaged with international human rights issues beyond those directly involving U.S. policy. He was involved in investigations related to political violence in India, including events in Nandigram, West Bengal, in 2007, where clashes between political factions and security forces resulted in civilian casualties.

Writing and Public Intellectual Work

Clark was also an author, using his writing to articulate his legal and political philosophy. His works addressed issues of criminal justice, civil liberties, and American foreign policy. His books were published by independent presses that aligned with his progressive political outlook.

Throughout his post-government career, Clark remained a figure who generated strong reactions across the political spectrum. To his supporters, he was a principled defender of due process and international law who was willing to challenge the most powerful government in the world. To his critics, his representation of dictators and authoritarians undercut his claims to moral authority and reflected a reflexive anti-Americanism rather than a coherent legal philosophy.

Personal Life

Clark married Georgia Welch, and the couple had two children. He lived for many years in New York City, where he maintained his legal practice and activist work. Clark was known for living modestly relative to many of his contemporaries in the legal profession, and his choice of clients—many of whom could not or did not pay substantial legal fees—reflected his stated commitment to the principle that all individuals deserve legal representation regardless of the nature of the charges against them.

In his later years, Clark suffered from declining health, including dementia. He died on April 9, 2021, at his home in New York City at the age of 93. At the time of his death, he was the last surviving member of President Lyndon B. Johnson's Cabinet.

Recognition

Clark's career in government earned him recognition as a significant figure in the history of American civil rights law. His role in drafting and enforcing the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Civil Rights Act of 1968 placed him among the key architects of the legal framework that dismantled institutionalized racial discrimination in the United States.

The University of Chicago Law School recognized Clark as a notable alumnus, highlighting his contributions to civil rights and civil liberties during his government service.

However, Clark's post-government career complicated his legacy in the eyes of many observers. His representation of figures such as Saddam Hussein and Slobodan Milošević drew criticism from across the political spectrum, including from some who had admired his earlier civil rights work. Politico described him in its obituary as "a liberal crusader who embraced the world's bad guys," capturing the tension that defined public perceptions of his later career.

Clark's opposition to the death penalty, which he maintained throughout his career, contributed to a broader national conversation about capital punishment in the United States. His stance, articulated during his time as Attorney General and reiterated in the decades that followed, anticipated many of the arguments that would later be taken up by opponents of the death penalty in the legal and political mainstream.

Legacy

Ramsey Clark's legacy is defined by the sharp contrasts in his public life. As a government official in the 1960s, he was a key figure in one of the most consequential periods of domestic reform in American history. His work on civil rights legislation and his opposition to the death penalty positioned him as a progressive voice within the establishment. As The Washington Post noted in its obituary, Clark "redefined himself as a relentless" critic of American policy after leaving government, a transformation that made him one of the most polarizing figures in American public life for more than four decades.

The decisions that defined Clark's post-government career—particularly his representation of figures widely accused of human rights abuses—raised fundamental questions about the role of defense attorneys and the limits of legal advocacy. Clark consistently argued that his willingness to represent unpopular defendants was an extension of the same principles that had guided his civil rights work: a belief in the rule of law, due process, and the right of every individual to legal representation. His critics countered that his engagement went beyond legal representation and often amounted to political advocacy on behalf of authoritarian rulers.

Politico observed that Clark "lived long enough to embody the whole long decline of establishment liberalism," suggesting that his trajectory from New Frontier liberal to radical critic of American power traced a larger arc in American political history. Whether viewed as a principled dissenter or a misguided contrarian, Clark occupied a unique position in the landscape of American law and politics—a former Attorney General who spent the majority of his subsequent career in opposition to the policies of the government he had once served.

His death in 2021 prompted reflections on the complexity of his life and the questions his career raised about law, justice, and the responsibilities of those who wield—and challenge—state power.