He was born in Golden, Okla., then raised on a cattle and cotton farm in Texas. After serving in the U.S. Air Force, he started a family automobile dealership. In 1952, he began Clark Angus Ranch at Huntsville, Texas, and was pioneer of the AHIR program. An extensive promoter of the breed in Central and South America, he served as American Angus Association president in 1974, after completing two terms as a director.