David W. Stark
David W. Stark (c. 1879 – 1940 or 1941) was an American politician. He was a member of the Missouri Legislature in the early 20th century. He was a farmer in West Line, Missouri.[1][2][3]
Political life
[edit]In November 1910, Stark was elected as a Democrat to the Cass County seat in the Missouri House of Representatives.[4]
On Monday, May 20, 1911, the St. Louis Globe-Democrat printed a story headed "Drunken Democrats Turn Assembly Into a Sunday Debauch; Liquor-Fired Mob Breaks Up Senate Session; Carouse Is in Celebration of Game Warden."[5] In it, the Globe said:[6]
The Sunday session of the House terminated late in the afternoon in a fist fight and near riot. Kirby J. Smith of Ava, Missouri, a clerk in the office of Game Commissioner Tolerton . . . was assaulted upon the floor of the House by Representative David W. Stark of Cass County.
The St. Joseph News-Press reported that Stark "struck at" Smith and then "grasped him by the throat and pushed him, scrambling and fighting, to the rear of the hall. . . At last someone tripped Stark, and the two sprawled on the floor, and the other representatives" pulled Stark off.[7]
Stark filed a suit against the Globe the next month, alleging libel and asking for $150,000 in damages.[8] The newspaper paid him $2,500 to withdraw the suit.[9]
Stark served two terms in Missouri's House of Representatives, and in 1916, he was elected to its Senate. He himself voted in Freeman, Missouri.[1][10]
Personal life
[edit]Stark's family lived in Cass County, Missouri, since the early 1850s.[11]
A marriage license was issued to Stark and Martha Ingels of Jackson County on May 16, 1910.[12] In 1917, the St. Louis Globe-Democrat reported that Stark was one of nine senators who "have their wives on the pay roll of the General Assembly as clerks or stenographers at $3.50 a day."[13]
About 1921 or 1922, Stark became "mentally unbalanced" and was admitted as a private patient at the Nevada Hospital for the Insane. In 1928, his private funds having been exhausted, his expenses at the hospital were taken over by Cass County.[3][11]
Dying in 1940 or 1941, the Missouri Senate held a memorial service for eight former senators, including Stark, who had died "since the last session of the General Assembly".[14]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "How Stark Won Out," Warrensburg Star-Journal, August 11, 1916, Page 3
- ^ "Democrats Have 32 Majority in Assembly; Half Senators Lawyers," The St. Louis Star, January 3, 1917, Page 6
- ^ a b "May 04, 1928, page 2 - Southwest Mail and The Weekly Post at Newspapers.com - Newspapers.com". www.newspapers.com. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ^ "Nov 17, 1910, page 1 - Jefferson Democrat at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ^ "Legislature Scores the Globe-Democrat," Twice-a-Week Democrat, March 24, 1911, Page 1 No copy of the original Globe article is available.
- ^ "The Globe-Democrat's Version," The Shelbina Torchlight, March 24, 1911, Page 2
- ^ "Fist Fight Jars Quiet of Sabbath," St. Joseph Gazette, March 20, 1911, image 8
- ^ "Apr 14, 1911, page 3 - The Southwest Mail at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ^ "Apr 23, 1914, page 3 - Monroe City Democrat at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ^ "David W. Stark," The Lexington Intelligencer, June 23, 1916, Page 1
- ^ a b "Dec 29, 1928, page 1 - The Kansas City Times at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ^ www.ancestry.com https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1171/images/vrmmo1833_c12528-1729?usePUB=true&_phsrc=bOB44&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=11974285. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "The Donkey Loaded Down," The Neosho Times, February 8, 1917, Page 3
- ^ "May 29, 1941, page 7 - The Springfield News-Leader at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2025-06-27.