James Paul Clarke (August 18, 1854 – October 1, 1916) was an American lawyer and politician from the Arkansas Delta during the Progressive Era.

In a period of Democratic Party hegemony known as the "Solid South", Clarke blended positions of the budding Populist movement, such as free silver and railroad regulation, with nationalism and his gifted skills as an orator to popularity and electoral success.

His father Walter, an architect, died when Clarke was seven years old, and he was raised by his mother, Ellen (née White), daughter of a prominent planter class family.

[7] After briefly editing a newspaper in Yazoo City, Clarke graduated with a law degree at the University of Virginia in 1878.

[9] Clarke represented the 14th District, which covered Phillips and Lee counties beginning with the 27th Arkansas General Assembly.

'The people of the South,' he said in his closing speech of the election, 'looked to the Democratic party to preserve the white standards of civilization.'