Jonas Clarke (December 25, 1730 – November 15, 1805), sometimes written Jonas Clark, was an American

clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

and political leader who had a role in 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 ...

and in shaping the 1780 Massachusetts and the United States Constitutions.Clarke, Jonas (1901).
Opening of the War of Revolution, 19th of April 1775. A brief narrative of the principal transactions of that day.
' Lexington Historical Society (Mass.) Clarke graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1752 and became the third pastor of the Church of Christ in

Lexington, Massachusetts Lexington is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is 10 miles (16 km) from Downtown Boston. The population was 34,454 as of the 2020 census. The area was originally inhabited by Native Americans, and was firs ...

on May 19, 1755.Hudson, Charles (1913). ''History of the Town of Lexington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts: From Its First Settlement to 1868.''

Houghton Mifflin The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

He married Lucy Bowes Clarke. His wife's cousin was

John Hancock John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of t ...

, and Hancock was a guest in his home at the time of the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775.Kollen, Richard (2004). ''Lexington: From Liberty's Birthplace to Progressive Suburb.'' Arcadia Publishing, Clarke is buried in the Old Burying Ground in

. His home, now known as the Hancock-Clarke house, still stands,Lexington Historical Society (1905).''Guide book to the Hancock-Clarke house'' Lexington Historical Society (Mass.) and the Jonas Clarke Middle School in Lexington is named after him.

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Lexington Historical Society
owner of the Hancock-Clarke House 1730 births 1805 deaths Harvard College alumni Clergy in the American Revolution {{US-reli-bio-stub