Samuel Foster McCleary Jr. (July 14, 1822 – April 25, 1901) was an American lawyer and government official who served as

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

's city clerk for 30 years. He succeeded his father, Samuel F. McCleary, who held it for the previous 30.

Early life

McCleary was born on July 14, 1822, in Boston. He attended

Boston Public Schools Boston Public Schools (BPS) is a school district serving the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest public school district in the state of Massachusetts. Leadership The district is led by a Superintendent, hired by the ...

and received the Franklin Medal at

Boston Latin School The Boston Latin School is a public exam school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established on April 23, 1635, making it both the oldest public school in the British America and the oldest existing school in the United States. Its curriculum f ...

. He 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 1841 and

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1843.

Career

McCleary completed his studies in the law office of

John Albion Andrew John Albion Andrew (May 31, 1818 – October 30, 1867) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts. He was elected in 1860 as the 25th Governor of Massachusetts, serving between 1861 and 1866, and led the state's contributions to ...

and was admitted to the Suffolk County bar on October 9, 1844. He dedicated much of his time assisting his father in his official duties and essentially ran the city clerk's office during the elder McCleary's final years in office. In 1852 succeeded his father as Boston city clerk. McCleary was never a member of any political party and was removed from office in 1883 when the Democrats came to power and chose to put one of their own in office. After leaving the city clerk's office, McCleary spent five years managing the Boston office of the

Equitable Life Insurance Company Equitable Holdings, Inc. (formerly The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company, and also known as The Equitable) is an American financial services and insurance company that was founded in 1 ...

. He spent his later years managing various trusts.

Personal life

McClearly was married to Emily Thurston Barnard from 1855 until her death in 1871. They had four daughters and one son. Their son, also named Samuel F. McCleary, graduated from the Harvard Divinity School in 1892 and was the assistant pastor at the First Unitarian Congregational Church of Brooklyn until his suicide on December 2, 1892. McClearly was a member of the Church of the Disciples and was a friend of its founder

James Freeman Clarke James Freeman Clarke (April 4, 1810 – June 8, 1888) was an American minister, theologian and author. Biography Born in Hanover, New Hampshire, on April 4, 1810, James Freeman Clarke was the son of Samuel Clarke and Rebecca Parker Hull, though h ...

. He lived in

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton, A ...

during his retirement and died there on April 25, 1901.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCleary Jr., Samuel F. 1822 births 1901 deaths American Unitarians Boston city clerks Harvard College alumni Harvard Law School alumni Lawyers from Boston Lawyers from Brookline, Massachusetts