Congregational clergyman, b. Conway, Mass. He began his career in 1829 by becoming an evangelist, traveling through upper New York and Canada. He moved to Beloit in 1840 and became pastor of the Congregational Church there in 1844. In 1850 he became home missionary agent for Wisconsin, serving in this capacity until 1872. Among the first trustees of Beloit College, he played a leading role in its establishment and during its formative years. F. N. Dexter, comp., I00 Years of Cong. Hist. in Wis. ([Fond du Lac] 1933); U.S. Biog. Dict.... Wis. (Chicago, 1877); D. Clary, Hist. of the Churches and Ministers . . . Presbyterian and Congregational Convention of Wis. (Beloit, 1861).

The Wisconsin Historical Society has manuscripts related to this topic. See the catalog description of the Dexter Clary Letters for details. See also the Dexter Clary Miscellany.

View newspaper clippings at Wisconsin Local History and Biography Articles.

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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]