Peter Humphries Clark was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1829. Peter h clark biography sample pdfHis mother died when he was three. His father, Michael, was a barber whose occupation gave them financial stability. Peter was educated in private schools established for the African American population by white philanthropists. Not wanting to follow in his fathers footsteps to become a barber, he decided to learn the trade of printing.
He obtained an apprenticeship under Thomas Varney, a white abolitionist. Although the apprenticeship was short-lived when the Varneys left Cincinnati for California, they had influenced his life. When new owner of the printing business refused to train African Americans, Clark planned to emigrate to Liberia but changed his mind when he arrived in New Orleans. |