John Henrik Clarke was born John Henry Clark in Union Springs, Alabama, on January 1, 1915. He and his family moved to his mother's hometown of Columbus, Georgia, where he attended the Fifth Avenue School and Spencer High School. His experience in Columbus included caddying for Dwight Eisenhower and Omar Bradley. In the 1930s he then moved to New York City and enlisted in the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of Master Sergeant. Then, largely self-educated, yet highly motivated, Clarke became active in academia, teaching at Hunter College, Cornell, New York University, and the New School for Social Research. As a scholar and activist he wrote and lectured widely on Pan-African and Africana Studies. He died on July 16, 1998.