Frederick J. Clarke
Encyclopedia
Frederick James Clarke was a civil and military engineer with the United States Army
Corps of Engineers
. Clarke was one of three commissioners appointed to run the District of Columbia from 1960 to 1963, and later rose to the rank of Chief of Engineers
in the Corps of Engineers.
Clark was born in Little Falls, New York
. In 1937 he graduated fourth in his class at the United States Military Academy
at West Point, New York
. He was then commissioned in the Corps of Engineers, while continuing his graduate work. Clarke received a master's degree in civil engineering
from Cornell University
in 1940 and later attended the Advanced Management Program of the Graduate School of Business at Harvard University
. He also completed graduate studies at the Army War College.
During World War II
he commanded a battalion of the 38th Combat Engineers that helped construct a military airfield on Ascension Island
in the South Atlantic, a key refueling point for transatlantic flights to Africa. He also served in Washington, D.C.
, in the headquarters of the Army Service Forces
. He served as a logistics planner on General George C. Marshall's staff. He also was an early developer of the "Red Ball Express
" operation that kept European beachheads supplied.
As the war in Europe ended, he was involved in the frenzied planning effort to redirect supplies to the Pacific. Clarke also worked in the atomic energy field for the Manhattan Engineer District (best known as the Manhattan Project
).
After the war his atomic work continued, with the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
at Hanford, Washington
, and at the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project at Sandia Laboratory
, Albuquerque, New Mexico
. As the District Engineer of the Trans-East District of the Corps in 1957-59, he was responsible for U.S. military construction in Pakistan
and Saudi Arabia
, and he initiated transportation surveys in East Pakistan
and Burma.
From 1874 to 1967, before "District of Columbia home rule," the District was governed by three federally-appointed commissioners (one a civil engineer, selected from the Army Corps of Engineers). In 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower
appointed Clarke as the District's Engineer Commissioner. He was the technician-in-chief, called to address the problems such as traffic gridlock, economic development and low levels of funding. At one point early in his term, he was the only commissioner available for full-time duty, because one post was vacant and the other commissioner had suffered a heart attack.
In the early 1960s, Clarke participated in talks that led to the compact agreement for construction of the Washington Metro
railway and subway system. As chairman of the District's zoning commission, he participated in early debates over the controversial proposal to build an interstate bridge near the Three Sisters
Islands in the Potomac River, and over a planned freeway through the heart of the District.
After his term as Engineer Commissioner ended in 1963, he served as Director of Military Construction in the Office of the Chief of Engineers (1963–65); Commanding General of the Army Engineer Center and Fort Belvoir
and Commandant of the Army Engineer School (1965–66); and Deputy Chief of Engineers (1966–69). He achieved the rank of Lieutenant General
. As Chief of Engineers Clarke guided the Corps as it devoted increased attention to the environmental impact of its work.
He retired from the Army in 1973 after a 37-year career, then served as executive director of the National Commission on Water Quality. In the 1980s, he was a consultant to the Tippetts, Abbett, McCarthy, Stratton engineering firm.
After his death in 2002, he was buried in Arlington National Cemetery
.
Clarke was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal
and the Legion of Merit
. In 1973 he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
. Clarke was one of three commissioners appointed to run the District of Columbia from 1960 to 1963, and later rose to the rank of Chief of Engineers
Chief of Engineers
The Chief of Engineers commands the US Army Corps of Engineers. As a staff officer at The Pentagon, the Chief advises the Army on engineering matters and serves as the Army's topographer and the proponent for real estate and other related engineering programs....
in the Corps of Engineers.
Clark was born in Little Falls, New York
Little Falls (city), New York
Little Falls is a city in Herkimer County, New York, USA. The population was 5,188 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from a small cataract near the city....
. In 1937 he graduated fourth in his class at the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
at West Point, New York
West Point, New York
West Point is a federal military reservation established by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It is a census-designated place located in Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...
. He was then commissioned in the Corps of Engineers, while continuing his graduate work. Clarke received a master's degree in civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in 1940 and later attended the Advanced Management Program of the Graduate School of Business at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He also completed graduate studies at the Army War College.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he commanded a battalion of the 38th Combat Engineers that helped construct a military airfield on Ascension Island
Ascension Island
Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, around from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America, which is roughly midway between the horn of South America and Africa...
in the South Atlantic, a key refueling point for transatlantic flights to Africa. He also served in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, in the headquarters of the Army Service Forces
Army Service Forces
The Army Service Forces were one of the three autonomous components of the Army of the United States during World War II, the others being the Army Air Forces and Army Ground Forces. They were created on February 28, 1942 by Executive Order Number 9082 "Reorganizing the Army and the War Department"...
. He served as a logistics planner on General George C. Marshall's staff. He also was an early developer of the "Red Ball Express
Red Ball Express
The Red Ball Express was an enormous truck convoy system created by Allied forces to supply their forward-area combat units moving through Europe following the breakout from the D-Day beaches in Normandy. The term "Red Ball" was a railroad phrase referring to express shipping...
" operation that kept European beachheads supplied.
As the war in Europe ended, he was involved in the frenzied planning effort to redirect supplies to the Pacific. Clarke also worked in the atomic energy field for the Manhattan Engineer District (best known as the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
).
After the war his atomic work continued, with the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
at Hanford, Washington
Hanford, Washington
Hanford was a small agricultural community in Benton County, Washington, United States. It was evacuated in 1943 along with the town of White Bluffs in order to make room for the nuclear production facility known as the Hanford Site...
, and at the Armed Forces Special Weapons Project at Sandia Laboratory
Sandia National Laboratories
The Sandia National Laboratories, managed and operated by the Sandia Corporation , are two major United States Department of Energy research and development national laboratories....
, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
. As the District Engineer of the Trans-East District of the Corps in 1957-59, he was responsible for U.S. military construction in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, and he initiated transportation surveys in East Pakistan
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...
and Burma.
From 1874 to 1967, before "District of Columbia home rule," the District was governed by three federally-appointed commissioners (one a civil engineer, selected from the Army Corps of Engineers). In 1960, President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
appointed Clarke as the District's Engineer Commissioner. He was the technician-in-chief, called to address the problems such as traffic gridlock, economic development and low levels of funding. At one point early in his term, he was the only commissioner available for full-time duty, because one post was vacant and the other commissioner had suffered a heart attack.
In the early 1960s, Clarke participated in talks that led to the compact agreement for construction of the Washington Metro
Washington Metro
The Washington Metro, commonly called Metro, and unofficially Metrorail, is the rapid transit system in Washington, D.C., United States, and its surrounding suburbs. It is administered by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority , which also operates Metrobus service under the Metro name...
railway and subway system. As chairman of the District's zoning commission, he participated in early debates over the controversial proposal to build an interstate bridge near the Three Sisters
Three Sisters (District of Columbia)
The Three Sisters, variously known as the Three Sisters Islands and the Three Sisters Island, are three rocky islands in the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., west of the Key Bridge. They represent the farthest point navigable by larger boats....
Islands in the Potomac River, and over a planned freeway through the heart of the District.
After his term as Engineer Commissioner ended in 1963, he served as Director of Military Construction in the Office of the Chief of Engineers (1963–65); Commanding General of the Army Engineer Center and Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir
Fort Belvoir is a United States Army installation and a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Originally, it was the site of the Belvoir plantation. Today, Fort Belvoir is home to a number of important United States military organizations...
and Commandant of the Army Engineer School (1965–66); and Deputy Chief of Engineers (1966–69). He achieved the rank of Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...
. As Chief of Engineers Clarke guided the Corps as it devoted increased attention to the environmental impact of its work.
He retired from the Army in 1973 after a 37-year career, then served as executive director of the National Commission on Water Quality. In the 1980s, he was a consultant to the Tippetts, Abbett, McCarthy, Stratton engineering firm.
After his death in 2002, he was buried in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
.
Clarke was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal
Distinguished Service Medal (Army)
The Distinguished Service Medal is a military award of the United States Army that is presented to any person who, while serving in any capacity with the United States military, has distinguished himself or herself by exceptionally meritorious service to the Government in a duty of great...
and the Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
. In 1973 he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.