Hon. M. A. Clark was born in Dane County, Wis., in the year 1869, and, came to Bemidji in 1899 from Norman county. He remained one year, after which time he settled in Blackduck, where he made his home for four years, returning to Bemidji in 1903 to assume the office of Judge of Probate. The following clipping, taken from a 1904 Bemidji Pioneer, is full of details. “M. A. Clark, Judge of Probate of Beltrami county, was born in southern Wisconsin, 34 years ago. Judge Clark claims to be of American descent, as both his paternal and maternal grandsires fought in the revolution and in 1812. He left his native state, and settled in Norman county. His first employment in Norman County was as a district school teacher. Teaching winters and working on the prairie farms in the summer, was his occupation for some years, for which he was peculiarly fitted, having graduated at a Wisconsin high school at the age of 16, and also been a farmer in that state for about six years. The judge says he first saw beautiful Lake Bemidji on the 24th day of May, 1895, while on an exploring expedition, and had “hiked” it from Fosston, over what he then thought to be the worst roads that ever lay out doors, but has changed his mind since his experiences with the roads in the Blackduck country. He remained at the lake ten days, and would have stayed longer but had to return to Fosston on account of an injury to his right hand. But he always had a “hankering” to return and did so in the fall of 1899, and has been a permanent “fixture” in this country ever since. In the month of January, 1901, he cast his lot in the new town of Blackduck, where he still has interests, and was a member of the first council of that flourishing burg, and prominent in the organization of their fire department and board of education, of which latter he was secretary until his election to his present position. Although he claims to be the youngest probate judge in the state, he is old in experience and knowledge of his work, having served two years as clerk of the probate court of Norman county, and nearly one year in the same capacity in this county, under the well-known Judge of Probate, “Pap” Carson, now deceased, who gave him full charge of the probate work, which was then small in comparison to the work now.”
“Mr. M. A. Clark of Bemidji has taken charge of the school vacated by Mrs. Mary E. Sullivan. This school is a very bright school of sixteen pupils, seven of whom are eight-grade scholars.” (Langor Township, Sept 27, 1900)
He married Florence Parker on Sept 12, 1900. They had two children, a son Marion, and a daughter Mildred, and they lived at 917 America Avenue, not far from the courthouse. She died in Brooklyn, New York in 1939. He died in July 1940.