After a long and great life, NAFUSA founding member and early president John
Eugene Clark died peacefully in San Antonio, Texas, on February 13, 2024. He
was 90. John’s legal career, as a prosecutor, litigator, judge and writer, in a
combination of private law practice and public service, spanned over 50 years
and included serving as the United States Attorney for the Western District of
Texas and as a Justice of the Texas Court of Appeals (4th District).

Clark, a born and bred Texan, earned his LL.B. in 1961 from the University of
Texas School of Law following a two-year tour of active duty with the United
States Army in the Far East and three years working in private industry. He
remained a staunch supporter of the University of Texas throughout his life. In
1969, after practicing law in Austin for eight years, he moved to Washington,
D.C. and worked in the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division investigating
and prosecuting federal election fraud and illegal campaign financing cases.

Clark returned to his home state in 1971 and joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office
for the Western District of Texas as First Assistant under then U.S. Attorney
William Sessions and later, upon appointed by President Gerald Ford, as the
United States Attorney. During his tenure as U.S. Attorney 1975-1977, Clark
served on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee.

Clark engaged in private practice until 1981 when Governor William P.
Clements, Jr. appointed him to the Texas Court of Appeals where he served
until 1983. After his return to private practice, much of his time was devoted
to his qui tam practice under the federal False Claims Act and he gained a
national reputation as an expert in the area. During his time in private practice,
Clark chaired the National Institute of Corrections’ Advisory Board and the
Texas Ethics Commission. In 2013, the San Antonio Bar Association awarded
him its Lifetime Achievement Award, the Joe Frazier Brown Award of
Excellence (see May 31, 2013 NAFUSA newsletter article).

One of the founding members of NAFUSA, Clark was a life member and
served as its third president 1982-1983. He remained devoted to the organization throughout his life, and, in fact, according to his daughter Leslie he was wearing his NAFUSA hat the day before he passed away. NAFUSA owes him a great debt for his
leadership and determination in creating this organization and contributing to its success. On February 20, 2024, a flag was flown over the Department of
Justice in John Clark’s honor and was presented to his widow Carolyn Tevis Clark and family at the funeral services on February 28 by his longtime friend NAFUSA member Ron Ederer. In addition to his devoted wife, Clark is survived by his
children, Karen Cork, Leslie Sartori, John C. Clark and Charles W. Clark,
numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.