William Clark Falkner

William Clark Falkner (July 6, 1825 or 1826 – November 6, 1889) was a soldier, lawyer, politician, businessman, and author in northern Mississippi. He is most notable for the influence he had on the work of his great-grandson, author William Faulkner.
Although born in Knox County, Tennessee, Falkner lived with his family in Missouri and Pontotoc, Mississippi before settling at the age of 17 in Ripley, Tippah County, Mississippi. He served in the Mexican-American War and, when the American Civil War broke out, he raised a company of men and was made colonel in the Second Mississippi Infantry of the Confederate Army.