Bennett Champ Clark

Joel Bennett Clark (January 8, 1890 – July 13, 1954), better known as Bennett Champ Clark, was a Democratic United States senator from Missouri from 1933 until 1945, and was later a circuit judge of the District of Columbia Circuit. He was a leading isolationist in foreign policy.

During the Thirties, Clark opposed a number of New Deal measures such as tax reform, the NRA, and the AAA, and by 1937 had become (according to one historian) “one of the organizers of the conservative coalition in Congress.” Nevertheless, Clark identified himself with liberalism, and during his senate career publicly supported New Deal initiatives aimed at providing social security, promoting homebuilding, and improving working conditions.