Patrick Roger Cleary (1858-1948) (known locally as P.R. Cleary) was the founder and namesake of

Cleary University Cleary University is a private university focused on business education with its main campus in Livingston County, Michigan. It also has an education center located in Detroit. Cleary University offers certificate, ABA, BBA, MS, and MBA progr ...

Howell, Michigan Howell is the largest city in and county seat of Livingston County, Michigan, United States. As of the 2025 census, the city had a population of 9,914. The city is mostly surrounded by Howell Township, Michigan, Howell Township, but the two are ad ...

. Patrick Roger Cleary was born in

Nenagh Nenagh ( ; , or simply 'the Fair') is the county town of County Tipperary in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Nenagh used to be a market town, and the site of the East Munster Ormond Fair. Nenagh was the county town of the former county of Nort ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

in 1858.Ann Cleary Kettles, ''Ypsilanti Gleanings'', Spring 2006, http://ypsigleanings.aadl.org/ypsigleanings/15183 After his parents' death when he was eight years old, the Tuthill family, his father's employer, took in Cleary and his younger sister and gave them an English education. The Tuthills eventually sent the children to their older siblings who had earlier moved to the United States because of the poor economy in Ireland. The children went from New York and to

Hubbardston, Michigan Hubbardston is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in North Plains Township in Ionia County, and partially in Lebanon Township in Clinton County. Its population was 395 at the 2010 census. Geography According to the United ...

and then completed grade school and high school within a total of four years. After he eventually attended

Valparaiso University Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. It is an independent Lutheran university with five colleges. It enrolls nearly 2,300 students and has a campus. The university is known for its Luthe ...

in Indiana studying business and particularly business penmanship which was very important before the invention of the typewriter. After graduating, he travelled around the area teaching penmanship after placing ads in local newspapers. In 1883 Cleary settled in Ypsilanti planning on teaching students at what is now

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, EMich, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern) is a public university, public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal ...

, and he started his first class in rented space. By 1885 he constructed a new school building and formed a board of trustees. At this time he married Helen Clarke Jenks from St. Clair, Michigan and they had four children, Charles, Marjorie, Ruth and Owen, all of whom attended Cleary College and

, and all of whom later worked at Cleary College. Helen Cleary also worked at the school and was an active member of the Ladies Literary Club and the local

Congregational church Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...

. After his retirement in 1938 Cleary returned to his hometown in Ireland and drove around the nation. He visited

Éamon de Valera Éamon de Valera (; ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was an American-born Irish statesman and political leader. He served as the 3rd President of Ire ...

, Prime Minister of Ireland and the Irish legislature and then travelled around England where he was introduced in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

. In 1939 his wife, Helen, died. In 1938 his son Owen Cleary became president of school, but during World War II, his father had to become President again, after the Governor requested that Owen form and lead the “Michigan State Troops” after the Michigan National Guard was called up in 1942. After the War, Owen returned as president and then became a Republican politician in Michigan. Patrick Cleary died in 1948 at age 90.Laura Rose Ashlee, Traveling Through Time: A Guide To Michigan's Historical Markers (University of Michigan Press, 2005), pg. 441 https://books.google.com/books?id=Xd-mh9r0zEkC

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cleary, Patrick Roger 1858 births 1948 deaths University and college founders People from Nenagh Valparaiso University alumni People from Hubbardston, Michigan