Edward Severin Clark

Edward Severin Clark (July 6, 1870 – September 19, 1933) was an American businessman, and the owner of the New York City apartment building The Dakota. Early life Clark was born on July 6, 1870, in Neuilly, France. He was the eldest of the four sons of Alfred Corning Clark (1844–1896) and Elizabeth (née Scriven) Clark (1848–1909). The brothers grew up in New York City and Cooperstown, New York. After his father's death in 1896, his mother remarried to Bishop Henry Codman Potter. His paternal grandfather, Edward Cabot Clark, was Isaac Singer's partner in the Singer Sewing Machine Company, and built Manhattan apartment buildings, including The Dakota. His grandfather died during construction of The Dakota and bequeathed it to Edward, his 12-year-old grandson and namesake. Career Edward and one of his younger brothers, Stephen Carlton Clark, built a number of large buildings in Cooperstown, including The Otesaga Resort Hotel (1909), the Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital (1918), and the Alfred Corning Clark Gymnasium (1930).