Clarke née Pollard was born on August 22, 1862, in King and Queen County, Virginia, one of nine siblings.

She subsequently was appointed to the State Library Board of Virginia, serving two five-year terms from 1922 through 1932.

[1] She served as the editor-in-chief of the Virginia Suffrage News which was founded by Alice Overbey Taylor, producing three issues in 1914.

[2] Clarke went on to chair the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia's Committee on Political Study and Research.

Clarke was a member and represented Virginia at the Regional Conference of the National League of Women Voters in 1921.