Joseph Calvitt Clarke Jr.


Joseph Calvitt Clarke Jr. was a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Education and career

Clarke was born on August 9, 1920 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Virginia in 1945 and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1945. He was in private practice in Richmond, Virginia from 1945 to 1975.

Federal judicial service

On December 11, 1974, Clarke was nominated by President Gerald Ford to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia vacated by Judge Walter Edward Hoffman. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 19, 1974, and received his commission on December 20, 1974. He assumed senior status on July 31, 1991. He served in that capacity until his death on May 6, 2004, in Virginia Beach, Virginia.