John Barclay (January 22, 1749 – September 15, 1824) was an American soldier, politician, and jurist. He served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He served as President Judge of the Courts of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, alderman in Philadelphia and as Mayor of Philadelphia from 1791 to 1793. He worked as president of the Bank of Pennsylvania and was one of the founders of the Insurance Company of North America. He served as a Federalist member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 1st district from 1811 to 1813.

Early life

Barclay was born in

Ballyshannon Ballyshannon () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located at the southern end of the county where the N3 from Dublin ends and the N15 crosses the River Erne. Incorporated in 1613, it is one of the oldest towns in Ireland. Location B ...

, Ireland on January 22, 1749. He emigrated to America just before 1779 and lived in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Career

He worked as a shipping merchant and served in the Continental Army during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

. He enlisted in 1775 and was commissioned an ensign in 1776; he was eventually promoted to lieutenant and captain. He retired from the Continental Army in 1781. He was appointed a justice of the peace in 1782 and rose to President Judge of the Courts of

Bucks County Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English ...

in 1789. He was one of the fifteen aldermen selected to serve in Philadelphia under the city charter of April 1790. He was a member of the Constitutional convention of 1790 and served as mayor of Philadelphia from 1791 to 1792. He became president of the

Bank of Pennsylvania The Bank of Pennsylvania was established on July 17, 1780, by Philadelphia merchants to provide funds for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Its investors included George Meade & Co., with a £2,000 payment. Within a yea ...

after the

Pennsylvania Assembly The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The legislature convenes in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. In colonial times (1682–1776), the legislature was known as the Pennsylvania ...

established its charter in 1793. He was one of the founders of the Insurance Company of North America in 1792 and served as a director through 1793. He was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 1st district and served from 1811 to 1813.

Personal life

He was married twice. He married his second wife, Mary Searle at Christ Church in Philadelphia on December 11, 1781, and together they had five children. He died in Philadelphia in 1824 and was interred in the Neshaminy Church Cemetery in Warwick Township, Pennsylvania.

Legacy

The John Barclay Elementary School in Warrington, Pennsylvania, is named for him.

References

External links

Brief biography
at John Barclay Elementary School, Warrington, Pennsylvania. * 1749 births 1824 deaths 18th-century American politicians 19th-century American politicians American bankers Continental Army officers from Pennsylvania Continental Army staff officers Mayors of Philadelphia Pennsylvania Federalists Pennsylvania state court judges Pennsylvania state senators People from Ballyshannon People of colonial Pennsylvania Burials in Pennsylvania {{Pennsylvania-state-judge-stub