Roll of Honor
Incident
City Marshal William Clark was shot and killed while confronting a man he observed carrying a pistol in violation of the city ordinance.
Marshal Clark confronted the man, who had the pistol in his hand, and demanded that he surrender the weapon. The man refused, cocked the pistol, and told Marshal Clark not to approach him. The man then crossed the street, and the marshal followed. The subject then shot at Marshal Clark, the second shot striking him in the bowels. Both men then emptied their .44 caliber pistols at each other. The marshal started walking down the street and told the gathering crowd that he had been killed. The subject went to his father’s house, retrieved a shotgun, and came back searching for Marshal Clark. The man was arrested before he could shoot the marshal with the shotgun.
The subject was convicted of manslaughter in the death of Marshal Clark and sentenced to four years in prison. He appealed, and the case was reversed due to a technicality. The state never established the date and time of the homicide or the county. The man was retried in June of 1885 and sentenced to two years in prison.
Marshal Clark died two days later, on Thursday, August 30th, 1883. He gave a dying declaration and said goodbye to his wife and friends before dying.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and at least two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-E5C9AFEA- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
City Marshal Clark served with the Jacksonville Police Department.
Thank you for your service to the Jacksonville community. Thank you for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
William A. Clark served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
City Marshal William A. Clark is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In TX, 1,463 of 2,421 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 60.4% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At Jacksonville Police Dept., 4 of 4 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William A. Clark's cause is highlighted.
How William A. Clark Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to 2 years
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. William A. Clark is highlighted in Aug.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. William A. Clark was killed by handgun; .44 caliber.
Others Who Wore This Badge
3 officers from Jacksonville Police Dept. are honored on badge.nw.
