Richard Clarke (merchant)
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(aged 83)Richard Clarke | |
|---|---|
_-The_Copley_Family_(1776-77)_(cropped).jpg) from The Copley Family by John Singleton Copley | |
| Born | May 1, 1711 |
| Died | February 27, 1795 (aged 83) |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Winslow |
Richard Clarke (May 1, 1711 – February 27, 1795) was a prominent Boston merchant and Loyalist in the late eighteenth century. His company, Richard Clarke & Sons, was chosen as factors for the British East India Company and were among the consignees of the tea which was thrown into Boston Harbor on December 16, 1773, as part of the Boston Tea Party.
Clarke was the son of William and Hannah (Appleton) Clarke of Boston, where he was born.[1]
On May 3, 1733, he married Elizabeth Winslow, who has been variously said to be the daughter of Edmund, Isaac, and Col. Edward Winslow. It is probable that she was the daughter of Edward Winslow and Elizabeth his wife, whose birth of February 16, 1712, is listed in the Boston records.[2] Both Richard Clarke and his wife were of distinguished ancestry and occupied a high social position.
Richard graduated from Harvard College in 1729 and became one of the most prominent merchants in Boston, his firm at the time of the American Revolution including his two sons, Jonathan and Isaac, under the name of Richard Clarke & Sons.
The family had become extremely unpopular with the Whigs. On one occasion, Isaac went to Plymouth to collect some debts and was attacked and forced to make a midnight escape. Susannah Farnum Clarke, one of Richard's four daughters, married the artist John Singleton Copley in 1769 and went to live with him in London.[3] In view of the growing difficulties in Boston and after the Boston Tea Party, Clarke also decided to go to England. After a remarkable voyage of only twenty-one days, he landed there on December 24, 1775, and lived at Copley's house until his death in 1795, at the age of 83. With one of his sons he joined the Loyalist Club of London. The family was on the American proscription lists, but in his will Clarke disposed of considerable property, including Bank of England stock and American securities.