Judge John B. Clark, son of John and Bridget Clark, was born on February 23, 1882, in Middleton, Wisconsin. At the age of nine, his family moved to Stoughton, Wisconsin. He graduated from high school in Stoughton, taught school near Cooksville for a time, and later graduated from the Law School of the University of Wisconsin.

In 1907, he arrived in Beloit and began the practice of law. In 1910, he was united in marriage to Mary E. Collins of Gratiot, Wisconsin. The young couple then made Beloit home for the remainder of their lives. They raised four children: two daughters, Geraldine and Frances, and two sons, Philip and Robert. Dr. Philip Clark preceded his father in death in 1943. Mrs. Clark died in 1966.

After five years of private law practice, he was elected Judge of the Beloit Municipal Court in 1912, succeeding Judge Charles Rosa, Beloit’s first municipal judge. One of his surviving children recalls speeches he gave at the old Wilson Theater during World War I to encourage Beloiters to purchase war bonds.

He was re-elected as Judge of the Court each succeeding term thereafter until 1927, when he retired from the bench to go into private law practice. His public service was one of the most colorful periods in the history of the Court, as Prohibition and the Volstead Act greatly increased the volume of cases.

In 1911, juvenile cases added to the Court’s power, and in 1921, powers greatly increased to include granting divorces. The 1921 action raised the status of the Court from a third to a first class municipal bench. He served as Commissioner of the Court and acting jurist when his successors found it necessary to be away from the court.

During the 1930s, Judge Clark taught an evening class on Banking Law in Janesville to area bank employees. When the National Housing Act was enacted in 1934, he served as Chairman of the local committee. This program enabled homeowners and farmers to secure loans for improvements at low interest rates.

The Judge was a member of the Wisconsin Bar Association, a former President of the Rock County Bar Association, St. Jude Catholic Church, the Holy Name Society, and the Knights of Columbus. He served on the Beloit Hospital Board and assisted the draft board during World War II.

An avid sports fan from the days of the Beloit Fairies, he seldom missed a high school athletic contest, and twilight baseball games were usually on his agenda.

Judge Clark died on October 7, 1955, leaving his wife, three living children, and seven grandchildren. He is buried in Calvary Cemetery.