Philanthropist, Attorney. The son of copper magnate and US Senator William Andrews Clark, he made his own fortune in mining speculation and had a successful legal practice in Los Angeles. A devotee of classical music, he founded the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1919 and financed it himself until his death, though he failed to persuade Sergei Rachmaninoff to conduct, as he had hoped. He donated buildings to his alma mater, the University of Virginia, and the University of Nevada, Reno, and to UCLA he bequeathed the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, with its extensive collection of rare books and manuscripts. Clark's personal life was marred by tragedy. His first wife, Mabel Foster, died giving birth to their only son, who was killed in a 1931 plane crash; his second wife, Alice, also died prematurely. The Clark Family Mausoleum (1920), on an island in a man-made lake, is the most imposing memorial at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Philanthropist, Attorney. The son of copper magnate and US Senator William Andrews Clark, he made his own fortune in mining speculation and had a successful legal practice in Los Angeles. A devotee of classical music, he founded the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1919 and financed it himself until his death, though he failed to persuade Sergei Rachmaninoff to conduct, as he had hoped. He donated buildings to his alma mater, the University of Virginia, and the University of Nevada, Reno, and to UCLA he bequeathed the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, with its extensive collection of rare books and manuscripts. Clark's personal life was marred by tragedy. His first wife, Mabel Foster, died giving birth to their only son, who was killed in a 1931 plane crash; his second wife, Alice, also died prematurely. The Clark Family Mausoleum (1920), on an island in a man-made lake, is the most imposing memorial at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
Family Members
Advertisement
See more Clark memorials in:
Advertisement
