Below is a bio that was submitted to the Fayette County, PA rootsweb list. Not related, just sharing. FAYETTE BOY'S RISE >From a Dunbar Township Farm to a Seat in the United States Senate. William A. CLARK, a Fayette county boy who has relatives in Connellsville, was elected United States Senator from Montana last week as a democrat, receiving also the votes of 11 Republicans. CLARK was born on the old White farm in Dunbar township, near New Haven, a son of Joseph and Polly CLARK, being one of three sons and four daughters. The elder CLARK was a farmer of very comfortable circumstances. William received a common school education, but being of a studious disposition, improved his opportunity more than the ordinary run of boys of his station in life. He worked on his father's farm until 18 or 19 years old. He made frequent trips to Connellsville and New Haven, marketing the products of the farm, but he grew tired of farm life and yearned to go West. To this his father consented, and started him and his brother on their journey, giving them $2,000 on which to base their fortunes. CLARK was one of the first to reach Bannock, Mont., on the discovery of gold there in 1868, driving an ox team. His Montana career began with merchandising, but he soon got into mining, in which most of his vast fortune was accumulated. CLARK is the largest individual owner of copper mines and smelters in the world, his principal properties being in Butte, Mont., and Jerome, Ariz. He has extensive beet sugar interests in California, and a large copper wire works at Elizabethport, N.J. He has a plantation of 32,000 acres in Mexico, devoted to growing coffee, tea, tobacco and rubber. His net income for 1898 was not far from $10,000,000. His wife was Katherine STOUFFER, daughter of Martin and Charlotte STOUFFER of this place. Mrs. Josephine REID, ex-postmaster of Connellsville, is a sister-in-law of Senator CLARK. Mrs. CLARK died in New York City several years ago. Four children were born to this union, two daughters and two sons, one now living in Butte and one a student at the University of Virginia. Senator CLARK'S mother is still living in Los Angeles. The JOHNSTON and BLACKSTONE families of Connellsville and vicinity are relatives of Senator CLARK. Mrs. J. M. REID is a cousin of the new Montana Senator. Source Connellsville Daily Courier; Mon. 2-3-1899 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Good luck in whatever you decide to do. You deserve the best!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.488 / Virus Database: 287 - Release Date: 6/5/03