He was one of the original directors of the Manchester Bank, serving from 1845 till 1849, and of the City Bank, with which he was connected from 1853 till 1863. He was also a trustee of the Manchester Savings Bank from 1852 until his death. For many years he was a trustee of the Manchester Atheneum, and when this was succeeded by the City Library, in 1854, he was chosen a member and clerk of the board of trustees of the latter institution, retaining both positions during the rest of his life. He was the first treasurer of the Manchester & Lawrence Railroad Company, holding that office from July 31, 1847, till his resignation took effect, February 8, 1849; and he was the clerk of that company from February 28, 1854, until he died, being also its attorney when engaged in private legal practice. He was a trustee of Gilmanton Academy, and in 1854 was a member of the National Board of Visitors to the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Judge Clarke was one of the earliest members of the Franklin-street Congregational church in Manchester, and one of the original officers of the society, to both of which he rendered valuable service.
Some mention of his personal appearance should not be omitted, as he was a man of unusually distinguished presence, having a large, finely proportioned figure, with a handsome, dignified head and face. Without undue formality, his manners were invariably courteous and refined. With excellent literary tastes, he possessed much general information, and was very attractive in conversation. Though rigid in his sense of right and wrong, he was eminently charitable in his views of others, having a broad tolerance of opinions which differed from his own. His disposition was genial, and his kindness of heart unfailing.
He was married, in 1834, to Anna Maria Greeley, only daughter of the late Stephen L. Greeley, Esq., of Gilmanton, N. H. His wife survives him, with four children,—Stephen Greeley, Anna Norton, Julia Cogswell, and Greenleaf.
The death of Judge Clarke occurred at his home in Manchester on April 25, 1872, and was the cause of wide-spread sorrow. At his funeral there was a large attendance of prominent citizens from many parts of the state. Resolutions of regret and eulogy were adopted by the city bar, the Hillsborough-county bar, the Manchester Common Council, and various other bodies with which he had been connected. In the resolutions of the common council he was spoken of as "one who, as a former member of the city government, and its legal public adviser, served it with marked fidelity and ability, and who, by his many virtues, had won the confidence and esteem of his fellow-citizens." His associates of the Manchester bar declared that "he was a faithful officer, a wise counselor, a respected citizen, and a Christian gentleman. He was courteous in manner, efficient in duty, upright in character, and an ornament to his profession." In the resolutions adopted by the bar of Hillsborough county, and entered upon the records of the supreme court, Judge Clarke was described as "a public officer faithful and upright, discharging his official duties with signal ability; a lawyer of large experience in his profession, of well balanced judgment and discretion, well read in the principles of the law, and faithful alike to the court and his client; a citizen patriotic and public-spirited; in his private relations, a gentleman of unblemished reputation, distinguished for his high-toned character, affable manners, and uniform courtesy; and illustrating in his public and private life the character of a Christian gentleman, governed by the principles which he was not ashamed to profess."
HON. ARCHIBALD HARRIS DUNLAP.
BY REV. W. R. COCHRANE.
Mr. Dunlap comes of strong, sturdy, Presbyterian stock and Scotch ancestry, of which he is a characteristic and worthy representative.