Then & Now

Tabor Alumni in Politics

Some may know Ed Clark ’48 from the 1980 presidential ballot or from your 1948 Tabor Fore ‘n’ Aft. Clark’s adult life included years of schooling, active duty in the Navy during the Korean War, and a robust political career. But before he was a graduate of Harvard Law, a contender for the 1978 California gubernatorial election, or a presidential candidate, Ed Clark was a student at Tabor Academy. 

“Tabor was the natural choice,” says Clark, noting that for him, Tabor was an introduction to students from different locations and backgrounds; at the time, Tabor was an all-boys school. “[Going to Tabor] broadened my outlook and allowed me to be more flexible in my life choices.” 

Clark confirmed that Tabor prepared him well for his career at Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, and for 53 years of marriage. He notes, “There was one teacher who really inspired me.” Clark was speaking of Carl Selle, an English teacher who taught him during his senior year. “Intellectually he opened up my mind to the beauty and discipline of short stories, and a whole world of big ideas.” 

This is one of many things that Clark and Phoebe Dias ’19 have in common. Dias, who is from Norfolk, MA, and graduated from Wake Forest University in 2023, is beginning her journey in politics as a Government Affairs Assistant at the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. 

Dias cites Kelli McSweeny, who was both her advisor and her AP Literature teacher, as her greatest role model. Dias mentions McSweeny’s prioritization of reading, writing and verbal communications as some of the reasons why “She was such a great mentor.”  

Dias was the president of her class for three years in a row at Tabor and now hopes to go to law school in a few years. She credits Tabor with teaching her the communications skills she hopes to employ as a lawyer. “The way that the boarding school experience is such a unique interpersonal experience … really lends itself to becoming a good communicator and a good writer,” she adds. 

Given her interest in classes like AP Government, AP Language, and AP Literature, Dias mentions that politics and law have almost always been a given for her future. “I think that in some ways, I always knew that this is what I would do,” she reflects. “I love to write, and I love the more analytical pieces, so in some ways this has kind of always been my plan.”  

Similarly, Clark also knew that he wanted to pursue a career in government early on. Hailing from Middleborough, MA, Clark’s path to politics was paved by his father, who was the longstanding moderator of the Middleborough town meetings. His father was also a graduate of Harvard Law School. By the time he got to Tabor, Clark’s mind was set on his educational aspirations.  

I wouldn’t change my decision of entering politics and trying to do something worthwhile for the country.

Ed Clark

Though Tabor may not have influenced Clark’s decision to become a lawyer, he says, “I think it did probably expand my horizons as far as politics was concerned.” From his experience with student leadership to his first time studying and living alongside a more diverse group of people, Clark notes, “[Tabor] made me get used to the inevitable compromises of politics and how to actually [handle] people with very different views.” 

Clark joined the Libertarian Party in the early 1970s. President Nixon had just instituted wage and price controls, and the Libertarian Party was born as a reaction to the increasing rate of government intervention. “We wanted to start a new party that would be less interventionist in foreign policy, lower spending, and stronger on civil rights than the Republican Party,” adds Clark. 

When the 1978 California gubernatorial election rolled around, Clark had been in the Libertarian party for a number of years and was ready to be a candidate. “I decided that the thing I did best was to be a candidate,” says Clark of his career choice. He mentioned that being a lawyer, speaking intelligently about the issues at hand, and having a few good people working with him were the most helpful parts of campaigning. In the 1978 election, Clark earned 5.46% of the vote. 

A New York Times article from November 9, 1978, mentions Clark’s political abilities. “Mr. Clark got 5 percent of the vote for governor as a hard campaigner, a convincing speaker and clever critic of [his opponents],” it reads. 

After the 1978 California gubernatorial election, Clark was ready to take another step into the political sphere. In the 1980 presidential election against former California governor Ronald Reagan and Democratic incumbent Jimmy Carter, Clark was on the ballot in all 50 states as the Libertarian candidate. He garnered over 900,000 votes.  

Although he didn’t win, Clark achieved some success for the Libertarian Party. “We didn’t fulfill our goal of creating a major party, but we did spread our ideas and the idea of Libertarianism [through campaigning],” he remembers. Over the course of his career, Clark maintained the same Libertarian ideologies on government spending, foreign policy, and civil rights.  

Similarly, Dias is interested in civil rights advocacy and the progressive politics space, hoping to pursue administrative law in a more regulatory capacity. She says, “I think that administrative law and agency regulation have such a big impact on people’s lives.”  

She also sees herself working at the state level. “So much of what actually impacts people’s day-to-day [life] is happening at the state and local level, and I think that’s a space that needs more attention and more advocacy,” notes Dias. “If I could be working in an administrative capacity back in Massachusetts, I would be really excited.” 

Both Clark and Dias agree that the system has its issues. Clark cites social media as one of the main problems with politics today. “All of the electronic media tends to raise the temperature and points of disagreement,” says Clark. “It’s a question of character ... and how to spend your time avoiding conflict about issues that are not important.”  

I think it’s just important for people to stay engaged and understand that there are things moving that aren’t making headlines.

Phoebe Dias

Dias mentions that with the slow pace of legislation, it can be easy to feel frustrated with the system as a young person working with more progressive causes. “It feels to me, and I think it feels to everyone, that nothing is happening right now,” she voices.  

Despite that feeling, Dias says, “Something that I’ve learned is that there actually is a lot happening, and even if it’s smaller and it might not make headlines, I think it’s important to not lose sight of those things because for a lot of specific issues and a lot of specific causes, some fights are generations long.” She continues, “I think it’s just important for people to stay engaged and understand that there are things moving that aren’t making headlines.”  

As seen in Clark’s work with the Libertarian party, chipping away at a bigger cause takes time, patience, and dedication.  

Clark and Dias also agree that along with patience and dedication, there are certain enduring qualities that make a good politician. These include focus, character, and articulation, among others.  

“When you’re fighting for change and you’re fighting for what you want, it takes a certain amount of confidence and assuredness and the ability to back up your case,” says Dias. “When you know you’re fighting for the right thing, being able to articulate that and make a case for it is really important.” 

As for passing those generations-long battles on to the next cohort of politicians, Clark has a recommendation. “Try to make the best of [your situation] to achieve what you think is a good goal for society and for yourself,” he says. “I wouldn’t change my decision of entering politics and trying to do something worthwhile for the country.”  

Luckily, the buck is safe with Dias. “It’s easy to have doubts when you’re early in your career, but I think I feel most fulfilled by knowing the fact that I’m doing the best I can with the skill set that I currently have,” she says. “Somebody took the time to teach me, and I want to always make sure that I’ll be the type of person that will take that time and teach someone else.”