John McClure (judge)
John McClure | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chief Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court | |
| In office 1871–1874 | |
| Preceded by | William W. Wilshire |
| Succeeded by | new constitution |
| Associate Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court | |
| In office 1868–1871 | |
| Preceded by | position created |
| Succeeded by | Elhanan J. Searle |
| Delegate to 1868 Arkansas Constitutional Convention | |
| In office January 7, 1868 – February 11, 1868 Serving with John N. Hutchinson | |
| Constituency | Arkansas County |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 4, 1834 Zanesville, Ohio |
| Died | July 7, 1915 (aged 81) |
| Resting place | Little Rock National Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Rumina Ayres |
| Residence(s) | (1) Arkansas County (2) Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service | .svg.png){kind=small} Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861-1865 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant colonel |
| Unit | 57th Ohio Infantry |
| Battles/wars | Civil War |
John E. McClure (May 4, 1834 – July 7, 1915),[1] nicknamed Poker Jack,[2] was a politician and judge in Arkansas during Reconstruction. He was originally a lawyer from Ohio.[3]
Biography
McClure was part of Powell Clayton's inner circle. A Republican "carpetbagger", he arrived in the capital city of Little Rock as the Lieutenant Colonel of an African-American regiment in the United States Army. Dismissed from the Army for playing cards, he gained the nickname, "Poker Jack," from the Democrats.
Freedmens Bureau
After the American Civil War ended, he rented a cotton farm and later became an agent of the Freedmens Bureau for Arkansas County in eastern Arkansas. McClure was elected alongside John N. Hutchinson to represent Arkansas County at the 1868 Arkansas Constitutional Convention.[4]
Arkansas Supreme Court
In 1868, he was appointed to the Arkansas Supreme Court and served until 1871. When Clayton was impeached in 1870, McClure issued an injunction preventing Clayton's lieutenant governor James M. Johnson from taking office. As a result of this action, McClure was also impeached and only narrowly avoided removal from office.[1]
Notes
- ^ a b Joseph A. Ranney (1 January 2006). In the Wake of Slavery: Civil War, Civil Rights, and the Reconstruction of Southern Law. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-275-98972-9.
- ^ Dan Ryan (24 June 2011). Merryweather. AuthorHouse. p. 418. ISBN 978-1-4634-1445-0.
- ^ John Gould Fletcher (1947). Arkansas. University of Arkansas Press. p. 172. ISBN 978-1-55728-040-4.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - ^ Dumas, Ernest (June 16, 2023). "John "Poker Jack" McClure (1834–1915)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Little Rock, Arkansas: Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Central Arkansas Library System. OCLC 68194233. Retrieved August 3, 2025.