William Patrick Clark

Rancher, judge and California Supreme Court Associate Justice William Clark (1931–2013) became one of Ronald Reagan's most trusted confidants both as governor and as president. Clark served in the Reagan Administration as deputy secretary of State and as U.S. national security advisor before heading to the Department of the Interior in 1983 to replace Secretary Watt. Clark was credited as a troubleshooter who was able to stabilize the Department and defuse tensions with Congress over the coal-leasing program by suspending leasing in 1984 and overhauling the program. With backing from a congressional act in 1984, Secretary Clark established the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, which to this day continues to award grants and support conservation efforts in all 50 states, U.S. territories and abroad. He also asked Congress to lift the moratorium on offshore leases which had been put in place in reaction to Watt's policies. Finally, Clark was known for his early morning horseback rides in Rock Creek Park and on the National Mall with Amadeus, a Lipizzaner stallion presented as a gift from Austria to President Reagan in 1982. After 18 years of public service, Clark resigned after Reagan's first term and returned—with Amadeus—to his California ranch.