McDonald Clarke collection

McDonald Clarke (1798-1842) was an American poet, sometimes called the "mad poet of Broadway," who belonged to the Bohemian circle in New York. He was born in Bath, Maine, in 1798, the son of John Clarke, Jr., a sea captain, and Ann McDonald. They moved to New London, Connecticut, in Clarke's childhood. His parents both died when Clarke was young, his mother in 1810 from consumption while on a sea voyage, and his father in 1813 at sea. It is unclear exactly where he lived after his parents' death, but he appeared in New York City around 1819, where he began to pursue a career as a poet. Clarke was also a regular attender of Grace Church, an Episcopal parish, where he came into contact with some of the city's prominent and wealthy families. He married an actress, Mary Brundage, in 1820, but they soon separated due to Clarke's financial instability. Clarke's books sold marginally well, but most of his income was from selling his poems to newspapers, magazines, and journals. In 1842, found destitute by a police officer, Clarke was taken to a New York City jail before removal to an asylum on Blackwells Island (now called Roosevelt Island). Clarke drowned on March 5, 1842, in his cell by water from an open faucet. Posthumously, Clarke's work and life circumstances influenced later poets, most especially Walt Whitman.

References

Matteson, John T. "Clarke, McDonald (1798–1842)." The Walt Whitman Archive. Gen. ed. Matt Cohen, Ed Folsom, and Kenneth M. Price. Accessed 27 August 2025. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org>.

Sturr, Robert D. "Clarke, McDonald (1798-1842), poet." American National Biography. 1 Feb. 2000; Accessed 27 Aug. 2025. https://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-1600310.