William G. Clark (July 16, 1924 – August 17, 2001) was an American politician and jurist.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Clark went to Loyola University Chicago, University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and received his law degree from DePaul University College of Law. In 1952, Clark was appointed by Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson to be the attorney for the public administrator of Cook County, Illinois. In 1952, 1956, and 1958, Clark was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives as a Democrat and served as majority leader. In 1954, Clark was elected to the Illinois State Senate. In 1960, Clark was elected Illinois Attorney General and served until 1969. Clark then practiced law. In the 1976 general election, Clark defeated Republican candidate Lawrence X. Pusateri, a former state legislator and past president of the Illinois Bar Association, to fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Thomas E. Kluczynski.[1] He served as chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court from 1985 to 1988 and on the court generally until 1992. Clark died in Skokie, Illinois from complications due to diabetes in 2001.[2][3]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by James L. O'Keefe | Democratic nominee for Attorney General of Illinois 1960, 1964 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Illinois (Class 3) 1968 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Attorney General of Illinois 1961–1969 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court 1976–1992 | Succeeded by |
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