 On March 3, 1829, James Clark married a widow named Margaret Buckner Thornton in Washington, D.C. Clark's second wife died August 15, 1836, just days after her husband was elected governor.Clark was elected to two consecutive terms in the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1807 and 1808.On March 29, 1810, he was appointed to the Kentucky Court of Appeals, and served in this capacity until his resignation in 1812.