Clark, William Smith, 1826–86, American educator, b. Ashfield, Mass., grad. Amherst, 1848, and studied chemistry and botany at Göttingen (Ph.D., 1852). He taught at Amherst until the Civil War, fought in many battles, and emerged from the struggle a brigadier general. He was elected to the Massachusetts General Court in 1864, 1865, and 1867 and while there secured the location at Amherst of the Massachusetts Agricultural College (the present-day Univ. of Massachusetts). He was president of this institution from 1867 to 1879, helped organize its work, and taught botany and horticulture. He went to Japan (1876–77) to establish the Imperial College of Agriculture at Sapporo.
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