Clarence Cary (March 18, 1845 – August 27, 1911) was an American lawyer who was prominent in New York society during the

Gilded Age In History of the United States, United States history, the Gilded Age is the period from about the late 1870s to the late 1890s, which occurred between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was named by 1920s historians after Mar ...

Early life

Clarence Cary was born in Fairfax County, Virginia on March 18, 1845,"Mrs. Constance Cary Harrison," in into a

planter class The planter class was a Racial hierarchy, racial and socioeconomic class which emerged in the Americas during European colonization of the Americas, European colonization in the early modern period. Members of the class, most of whom were settle ...

family. His parents were Archibald Cary and Monimia (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Fairfax) Cary. His sister, the author Constance Cary, was married to

Burton Harrison Burton Norvell Harrison (July 14, 1838 – March 29, 1904), was a lawyer, American Democratic politician, and private secretary to Confederate States of America president Jefferson Davis. Harrison's support for the pro-slavery South countered ...

, the former private secretary for Confederate President

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the Unite ...

. Through his sister, he was the uncle of

Fairfax Harrison Reginald Fairfax Harrison (March 13, 1869 – February 2, 1938) was an American lawyer, businessman, and author. A son of the secretary to Confederate President Jefferson Davis, Harrison studied law at Yale University and Columbia University ...

, who was a President of the Southern Railway Company, and

Francis Burton Harrison Francis Burton Harrison (December 18, 1873 – November 21, 1957) was an American-Filipino Politics of the United States, statesman who served in the United States House of Representatives and was appointed Governor-General of the Philippines ...

, who served as a

Governor-General of the Philippines The governor-general of the Philippines (; ; ) was the title of the Executive (government), government executive during the colonial period of the Philippines, first by History of the Philippines (1521–1898), the Spanish in Mexico City and l ...

. The family lived at

Cumberland, Maryland Cumberland is a city in Allegany County, Maryland, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 19,075. Located on the Potomac River, Cumberland is a regional business and comm ...

, where his father was editor of its leading newspaper, ''The Cumberland Civilian''. His paternal grandparents were Wilson Jefferson Cary and Virginia (née Randolph) Cary. His maternal grandparents were

Thomas Fairfax, 9th Lord Fairfax of Cameron Thomas Fairfax, 9th Lord Fairfax of Cameron (1762 – April 21, 1846) was an American planter. Along with his father, on 11 December 1799, he was among the last guests at Mount Vernon before George Washington died. Early life and family Thomas ...

(who never assumed the English title) and Margaret (née Herbert) Fairfax, herself the granddaughter of John Carlyle and Sarah Fairfax. Cary was also the great-grandnephew of

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

. Among his large and prominent family members was uncle

Gouverneur Morris Gouverneur Morris ( ; January 31, 1752 – November 6, 1816) was an American statesman, a Founding Father of the United States, and a signatory to the Articles of Confederation and the United States Constitution. He wrote the Preamble to the ...

of ''

Morrisania Morrisania ( ) is a residential neighborhood in the southwestern Bronx, New York City, New York. Its boundaries are the Cross-Bronx Expressway to the north, Crotona-Prospect Avenue to the east, East 163rd Street to the south, and Webster Avenu ...

'', who married Anne Cary Randolph.Louise Pecquet du Bellet, ''Some Prominent Virginia Families'', p. 81,2
/ref> When Archibald died in 1854, his mother moved the family to his grandmother's plantation, known as

Vaucluse Vaucluse (; or ) is a department in the southeastern French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. It had a population of 561,469 as of 2019.

Fairfax County, Virginia Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. With a population of 1,150,309 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most p ...

. Following the outbreak of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, Vaucluse was seized and torn down to construct

Fort Worth Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

as a part of the defenses of

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

The family moved again to

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, staying there during the War.

Career

During the War, Cary served as a midshipman in the

Confederate States Navy The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the Navy, naval branch of the Confederate States Armed Forces, established by an act of the Confederate States Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the Amer ...

and reportedly, "did some very clever acting during the war on the amateur stage and on the naval war boards. In his sailor role he served on the blockade runner, ''

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

'', on the '' Palmetto State''

ironclad An ironclad was a steam engine, steam-propelled warship protected by iron armour, steel or iron armor constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or ince ...

, off the Carolina coast and on the James River fleet, proving himself a good officer." After the war, he studied law and practiced in New York, founding the successful firm of Cary & Whitridge, where he was a trusted advisor to

Varina Davis Varina Anne Banks Davis ( Howell; May 7, 1826 – October 16, 1906) was the only First Lady of the Confederate States of America, and the longtime second wife of President Jefferson Davis. She moved to the presidential mansion in Richmond, ...

, the widow of Jefferson Davis. Following his brother-in-law

Harrison Harrison may refer to: People * Harrison (name) * Harrison family of Virginia, United States Places Australia * Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin Canada * Inukjuak, Quebec, or "Port H ...

's return to the United States after the Civil War, they practiced law together. Cary was a fan of Oriental culture and art, traveling for extended periods to the

Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...

, setting up a committee with other businessmen known as the "Committee on American Interests in China." He was known for ridiculing Secretary of State

John Sherman John Sherman (May 10, 1823October 22, 1900) was an American politician from Ohio who served in federal office throughout the Civil War and into the late nineteenth century. A member of the Republican Party, he served in both houses of the U. ...

by calling Sherman's reluctance to Chinese trade as "quaint and dangerous". He worked as the legal counsel for the

American China Development Company The American China Development Company was a company that aimed to gain railway, mining, and other industrial concessions in China. Led by former Ohio senator and railway lawyer, Calvin Brice ,Hunt, Michael H. ''The Making of a Special Relationsh ...

, and helped found the American Asiatic Association in 1898.

Society life

In 1892, Cary and his wife were included in

Ward McAllister Samuel Ward McAllister (December 28, 1827 – January 31, 1895) was a popular arbiter of social taste in the Gilded Age of America, widely accepted as the authority to which families could be classified as the cream of New York society ( The Fou ...

's "

Four Hundred 400 (four hundred) is the natural number following 399 and preceding 401. Mathematical properties A circle is divided into 400 grads. Integers from 401 to 499 400s 401 401 is a prime number, tetranacci number, Chen prime, prime index p ...

", purported to be an index of New York's best families, published in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. Conveniently, 400 was the number of people that could fit into Mrs. Astor's ballroom. He also translated several of the classic Latin poets, particularly

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 BC – 27 November 8 BC), Suetonius, Life of Horace commonly known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). Th ...

Personal life

In 1878, Cary was married to Elisabeth Miller Potter (1856–1945), the daughter of

Howard Potter Howard Potter (July 8, 1826 – March 24, 1897) was an American industrialist, investment banker, diplomat and philanthropist, and a partner in Brown Bros. & Co. Early life Potter was born in Schenectady, New York on July 8, 1826. He was the ...

, a diplomat and investment banker with Brown Bros. & Co., and his wife, Mary Louisa (née Brown) Potter. Together, they were the parents of: * Guy Fairfax Cary (1879–1950), a lawyer with

Shearman & Sterling Shearman & Sterling was a White shoe multinational law firm headquartered in New York City, United States. In 2024 it merged with Allen & Overy to form A&O Shearman. History Wall Street origins Shearman & Sterling was founded in New York City ...

who married Cynthia Burke Roche (1884–1966), the widow of Arthur Scott Burden, in 1922. Cynthia was the daughter of

James Roche, 3rd Baron Fermoy James Boothby Burke Roche, 3rd Baron Fermoy (28 July 1851 – 30 October 1920), was a Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons, and he held a title in the Peerage of Ireland during the final two months of his life. Early life and ...

and

Frances Ellen Work Frances Ellen Work (October 27 or 28, 1857 – January 26, 1947) was an American heiress and socialite. Early life Frances was born in New York City on October 27 or 28, 1857. She was a daughter of Franklin H. Work, a well-known stockbroker an ...

. * Howard Cary (1881–1906), a

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

graduate who reportedly committed suicide at the age of 24. Cary died on August 27, 1911, in

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich ( ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 63,518. It is the largest town on Gold Coast (Connecticut), Connectic ...

. He was buried in Ivy Hill Cemetery, Alexandria, Virginia.

Descendants

Through his son Guy, he was the grandfather of Guy Fairfax Cary II (1923–2004), who died unmarried, and Cynthia Cary (b. 1924), who married Charles Bingham Penrose Van Pelt (1922–2003) and had three children. She later married

Edwin F. Russell Edwin Fairman Russell (July 15, 1914 – December 22, 2001) was an American newspaper publisher who had joined the Royal Navy to fight Germany before the United States entered World War II. Early life Russell was born on July 15, 1914, in Elizabe ...

(1914–2001).

References

External links

*
1893 Portrait of Mrs. Clarence Cary
by

Katherine Arthur Behenna Katherine Arthur Behenna (born 1860 – 21 September 1926), also known as Kathleen Arthur Behenna, was a Scottish-born portrait miniaturist, poet, spiritualist, and suffragist. She sometimes wrote articles using the masculine pseudonyms John Pre ...

at the

New-York Historical Society The New York Historical (known as the New-York Historical Society from 1804 to 2024) is an American history museum and library on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The society was founded in 1804 as New York's first museum. It ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cary, Clarence 1845 births 1911 deaths American socialites Burials at Ivy Hill Cemetery (Alexandria, Virginia) Cary family (Virginia) Confederate States Navy personnel Fairfax family Lawyers from Cumberland, Maryland Lawyers from New York City People from Fairfax County, Virginia Lawyers from Richmond, Virginia Randolph family (Virginia) Military personnel from Cumberland, Maryland