John Clarke (Congregationalist minister)

John Clarke (1755–1798) 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 (class of 1761) and Harvard University (class of 1774; MA 1777). He joined the ministry of Boston's First Church in January 1778, and remained there until his death at age 42. He was a charter member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1780. He was associated with 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.