Hugh Douglas Barclay (July 5, 1932 – March 14, 2021) was an American lawyer, an 11-term

New York State Senator The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan compo ...

, and a

United States Ambassador to El Salvador The following is a list of United States ambassadors, or other chiefs of mission, to El Salvador. The title given by the United States State Department to this position is currently ''Ambassador Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary.'' Chie ...

Personal life

Barclay was born on July 5, 1932, in New York City and moved to Pulaski,

Oswego County, New York Oswego County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 117,525. The county seat is Oswego. The county name is from a Mohawk-language word meaning "the pouring out place", referring to the point at ...

. He attended Pulaski Academy and Central Schools and later attended St. Paul's School. He graduated BA from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

in 1955, and went on to serve in the United States Army for two years. He earned a J.D. from

Syracuse University College of Law Syracuse University College of Law (SUCOL) is a Juris Doctor degree-granting law school of Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. It is one of only four law schools in upstate New York. Syracuse was accredited by the American Bar Association ...

in 1961. He married Sara J. "Dee Dee" Seiter, and they have five children, among them Assemblyman

Will Barclay William Anson Barclay (born January 5, 1969) is an American politician and attorney from the State of New York. A Republican, he has served in the New York State Assembly since 2003. In January 2020, Barclay was elected to the position of Assembly ...

(born 1969). Barclay died on March 14, 2021, at the age of 88.

Career

From 1961 until 2003, Barclay served as a partner for the upstate New York law firm of Hiscock & Barclay, a law firm specializing in Banking and

Administrative Law Administrative law is the division of law that governs the activities of government agency, executive branch agencies of Forms of government, government. Administrative law concerns executive branch rule making (executive branch rules are gener ...

. He also entered politics as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. He was a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

from 1965 to 1984, sitting in the 175th, 176th, 177th, 178th, 179th, 180th, 181st, 182nd, 183rd, 184th, and

185th New York State Legislature The 185th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 5, 1983, to December 31, 1984, during the first and second years of Mario Cuomo's governorship, in Albany. Backgrou ...

s. During this long tenure, he was a chair of Senate Codes Committee, Senate Judiciary Committee, the Select Task Force on Court Reorganization, and the Senate Republican (Majority) Conference. He was responsible for over 500 pieces of legislation. Between 1990 to 1993, Barclay was appointed a public board member of the

Overseas Private Investment Corporation The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) was the United States Government's Development finance institution until it merged with the Development Credit Authority (DCA) of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID ...

by President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

. Barclay's appointment as Ambassador to

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

was announced August 21, 2003, and the nomination was sent to the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

for confirmation on September 15. The Senate confirmed the nomination on October 3. He was sworn in as ambassador on November 12, and presented his credentials to El Salvador's President, Francisco Flores, on December 18. He completed his tour as ambassador in July 2006. Barclay received many awards including

Clarkson University Clarkson University is a private research university with its main campus in Potsdam, New York, and additional graduate program and research facilities in the New York Capital Region and Beacon, New York. It was founded in 1896 and has an enr ...

's Bertrand S. Snell Award (1987), St. Lawrence University Distinguished Service Award (1985), and the

SUNY Potsdam The State University of New York at Potsdam (SUNY Potsdam or, colloquially, Potsdam) is a public college in Potsdam, New York. It is the northernmost member of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Founded in 1816, it is among the ...

's North Country Citation (1985), the El Salvadorian National Congress award of the ''Nobel Amigo de El Salvador'' (2006), and the

Republic of El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning "Jesus, The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the so ...

award of the

Order of José Matías Delgado The National Order of José Matías Delgado ( es, Orden Nacional de José Matías Delgado) is a distinction granted by the Republic of El Salvador to Heads of State, Salvadoran citizens, or foreigners who are distinguished by eminent services to ...

in 2007.

Syracuse University

Barclay was an influential leader at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

. He served as SU Trustee since 1979 until 2007, and was the chair of the Board from 1992 to 1998. He was also a member of the College of Law Advisory Board. In 1984, he received the George Arents Award Pioneer Medal, the University's highest alumni honor, for Excellence in Law and Public Service. In 1985, the law library at the

was named in his honor. He also received an honorary degree from SU in 1998.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barclay, H. Douglas 1932 births 2021 deaths Ambassadors of the United States to El Salvador Republican Party New York (state) state senators People from Pulaski, New York St. Paul's School (New Hampshire) alumni Syracuse University College of Law alumni Syracuse University trustees Yale University alumni