Jim Clark was born and raised in the steel mill town of Braddock Pennsylvania located about 6 miles east of Pittsburgh. He graduated from High School in 1962 and was awarded a football scholarship.

Jim attended Pratt Community College in Kansas and later attended Colorado State University. He graduduated from Tampa University in Florida in 1973. He received a commission as a 2nd Lt. in the United States Army in 1966. Jim served his country proudly for 20 years stationed in Germany, South America, Vietnam, and throughout the United States.

In 1987 Jim retired from the Army having served his last duty assignment as the ROTC Commander at Idaho State University. Following his Army retirement Jim and his family relocated to North Idaho where he started A to Z Consultants, a management consulting firm. Through A to Z Consultants Jim has work with clients in a variety of industries including the computer chip manufacturers, computer keyboard manufacturers, agribusiness, mortgage lender, nonprofit organizations, and paper products distributors. Jim has also served as a representative in Oregon, Washington and Idaho for a manufacturer of grain and protein analyzers.

Jim was elected to the Idaho House of Representatives in 1996.