MUSCATINE, Iowa — Today marks the 140th anniversary of the Iowa Supreme Court decision granting all Iowa children  the right to attend public school — a case that came about thanks to the efforts of one of Muscatine’s most famous residents.

In 1867, after his 12-year-old daughter Susan was denied admittance to grammar school, Muscatine resident Alexander Clark began a series of lawsuits that ultimately resulted in the Supreme Court ruling.

Clark’s daughter, and son, Alexander Clark Jr., were the first two black children to graduate from Muscatine High School.

“We can be proud that people that were here settled the matter of equal rights to attend public schools 88 years before the U.S. Supreme Court made that decision in Brown vs. the Board of Education in 1954,” said Dan Clark, a local historian whose Web site includes information on Alexander Clark.

Area residents can learn more about that significant court case and the life of Alexander Clark on Sunday, June 8, when Dan Clark and  Muscatine resident Kent Sissel, present a program at the Louisa County Heritage Center in Wapello on Alexander Clark’s life.

Dan Clark, no relation to Alexander Clark, said he was invited to speak by retired Louisa County teacher Verl Lekwa and asked Sissel to be part of the program. Lekwa is vice president of the Louisa County Historical Society.

Sissel restored and lives in the house Alexander Clark built in 1878, and the structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Sissel learned in February that the National Park Service, a part of the U.S.  Department of the Interior, is recommending the house for National Landmark Status.

According to the National Park Service, listing in the National Register honors the property by recognizing its importance to its community, state, or the nation.

National Historic Landmarks are buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects that have been determined by the Secretary of the Interior to be nationally significant in American history and culture such as Pearl Harbor and the Martin Luther King Birthplace in Atlanta.

 Sissel considers himself a caretaker of the historic home and said Alexander Clark’s contribution to the cause of equality speaks for itself.

“It’s not what I think, it’s what the historic preservationists in this nation believe about the historic stature of Alexander Clark and what he accomplished in his lifetime,” said Sissel.

Clark and Sissel will present information on the case Alexander Clark brought before the Iowa Supreme Court,  as well as many of his other accomplishments.

Alexander Clark was 16 when he came to this area.

His first career in this area was as a barber. He made a series of successful investments with his earnings, making it possible for him to retire in 1868 at age 42.  

He entered the University of Iowa’s Law School when he was 57 and became the second black person to graduate from that program. His son was the first.

Clark was also an active Republican, making many speeches for the Party in many campaigns, earning the title “The colored orator of the west.”

Sissel said Clark was also believed to have strong connections to the Underground Railroad, a covert, grassroots operation that helped slaves escape to freedom.

Clark was 64 when he died serving the United States as minister and consul general to Liberia.

Dan Clark said he’d like to see the city establish a monument commemorating Alexander Clark’s life here.

As time goes by, Sissel said he’s pleased to see more people appreciating Alexander Clark’s efforts.

“We keep finding out more and more every year,” said Sissel. “But black history is difficult to research because it was not recorded.

“The research will continue long after I am dead, and that’s the way it should be.”

 Reporter contact information

Cynthia Beaudette 563-262-0527

cynthia.beaudette@muscatinejournal.com