Clark Wallace Thompson (August 6, 1896 – December 16, 1981) was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin on August 6, 1896, and moved to Oregon in 1901 with his parents, who settled in Cascade Locks. Thompson attended the common schools and the University of Oregon at Eugene.
He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps during the First World War serving from 1917–1918. He remained a United States Marine Corps reservist until 1946 except when he again served on active duty during World War II from 1940–1942.