William Clark (December 19, 1670 - July, 1742) was a merchant and town official in Boston, Massachusetts in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Around 1713 he built a large house at North Square in Boston's North End.
Biography
Clark was born in Boston in 1670 to physician John Clark; siblings included future speaker of the House, John Clark. In 1702 he married Sarah Brondson; their children included Robert Clark and Benjamin Clark.
William Clark "held several minor town offices, as constable in 1700; overseer of the poor in 1704; ... tithing-man in 1713, 1715 and 1718; ... selectman of Boston from 1719 to 1723, and representative to the General Court, 1719-22, 1724 and 1725." He attended Old North Church (i.e. Second Church), and was a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts.
"His death in 1742 attributed by some to the loss of forty sail of vessels in the French wars." Clark was buried "in his tomb at Copp's Hill, marked by a tablet bearing the family arms.".
References
- Abbott Lowell Cummings. The Domestic Architecture of Boston, 1660-1725. Archives of American Art Journal, Vol. 9, No. 4 (1971); p.10.
- Boston Street Laying-Out Dept. A record of the streets, alleys, places, etc. in the city of Boston. Boston: City Printing Dept., 1910.
- Roberts. 1895; p.316.
- Roberts. 1895; p.316-317.
- Roberts. 1895; p.317.
- Lee. 1881; p.349.
Further reading
- Henry Lee. The Clark and Hutchinson Houses. Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society, Vol. 18, 1881; p. 344+
- Oliver Ayer Roberts. History of the Military Company of the Massachusetts, now called the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts, 1637–1888; v.1 Boston: A. Mudge & Son, 1895; p. 316+