In 1857 he was a member of the 6-man Volant crew that was the champion of the Charles River Association and beat the Huron crew made up of Harvard students Samuel B. Parkman, Charles F. Walcott, William H. Elliot, William G. Goldsmith, Alexander Agassiz, and James J.
He took part in Burnside's North Carolina Expedition and fought in the battles of Roanoke Island, New Bern, Goldsborough Bridge, White Hall, and Tranter's Creek.
[2] Clark was one of the original members of the Boston Athletic Association and was chosen to serve as the organization's first president.
[2] On March 30, 1893, Clark was nominated for a seat on the Boston police commission by Governor William E. Russell.
[8] Clark's two colleagues on the commission (Charles P. Curtis Jr. and Harry F. Adams) designed him the sole spokesman for the board.