John Clarke

Who was John Clarke?

John Clarke was a minister of the First Church in Boston, Massachusetts, in the late 18th-century. He was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on April 13, 1755, to John Clarke and Sarah Clarke. He was educated at the Boston Public Latin School and Harvard University. He joined the ministry of Boston's First Church in January 1778, and remained there until his death at age 42. He was associated with the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; the Boston Library Society; the Humane Society of Massachusetts; and the Massachusetts Historical Society. Clarke married Esther Orne; they had four children. He died in Boston on April 2, 1798.