William Clark was a merchant and town official in Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

, Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Around 1713 he built a large house at North Square

North Square (Boston, Massachusetts)

North Square in the North End, Boston of Boston, Massachusetts sits at the intersection of Moon, Prince, North, Garden Court, and Sun Court Streets. Paul Revere lived here, as did other notables in the 17th and 18th centuries. Prior to July 4, 1788, the area was known as Clark's Square.-History:In...

 in Boston's North End.

Biography

Clark was born in Boston in 1670 to physician John Clark; siblings included future speaker of the House

Massachusetts House of Representatives

The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...

, 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

Massachusetts General Court

The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...

, 1719-22, 1724 and 1725." He attended Old North Church

Second Church, Boston

The Second Church in Boston, Massachusetts was first a congregational church, and then beginning in 1802, a unitarian church. The congregation occupied a number of successive locations around town, including North Square, Hanover Street, Copley Square, and the Fenway. Ministers included Increase...

 (i.e. Second Church), and was a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts

Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts

The Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts is the oldest chartered military organization in North America and the third oldest chartered military organization in the world...

.

"His death in 1742 [was] 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

Copp's Hill Burying Ground

Copp's Hill Burying Ground is a historic cemetery in Boston. It was originally named "North Burying Ground".-History:The cemetery was founded on February 20, 1659, when the town bought land on Copp's Hill from John Baker and Daniel Turell to start the "North Burying Ground"...

, marked by a tablet bearing the family arms.".

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+