McCLOS'KEY, JOHN (1810-85). An Ameri can Roman Catholic prelate. He was born in Brooklyn, was educated at Mount Saint Mary's College, Emmitsburg. Md., and made his theologi cal studies there, in Rome, and in France. Ile was ordained to the priesthood in 1834, and on his return from Europe became pastor of Saint Joseph's Church, New York. In 1841 he was made the first president of Saint John's College, Fordham, N. Y., but returned to parochial work in the next year. lie was appointed coadjutor to Bishop Ilughes of New York in 1844, and was consecrated Bishop of Axieren in partibits. In 1847 he was appointed the first Bishop of the new Diocese of Albany. He administered the affairs of his see with distinguished ability; built the cathedral at Albany, founded the theological seminary at Troy. erected many churches. estab lished charitable and religious institutions, and introduced monastic orders and lay communities. In July, 1864. he succeeded Dr. Hughes as Arch bishop of New York, where his administration was marked by similar energy and resultant growth of the Church and its institutions. In 1875 he was made a cardinal. At the Vatican Council of 1869-70 he was a member of the committee on discipline. Cardinal McCloskey was a profound scholar and an effective preacher. He was a sagacious administrator, of great executive abil ity and a quiet impressive manner.
MeCLURE, ma-kloor', ALEXANDER KELLY (1828— ). An American journalist. lie was born at Sherman's Valley, Perry County, Pa., and after receiving a good elementary education was apprenticed to a tanner at the age of fifteen. \Vhilo at work at his trade he began contributing to the columns of the Perry Freeman. When scarcely nineteen (in 1846) he began, and, with the aid of a single assistant. continued the publication of the Juniata Sentinel, a Whig paper, at Mifflin, Pa. In 1850 he bought an inter6st in the Chambers burg Repository, which, under his management, became one of the most influential anti-slavery papers in the region. In 1853 he was the un successful Whig candidate for Auditor-General, in 1S55 was State superintendent of printing. and in the same year was a member of the State convention that met at Pittsburg to organize the new Republican party in Pennsylvania. In 1856 lie was a delegate to the first National Repub lican Convention at Philadelphia, and in the same year left newspaper work and was ad mitted to the bar. In 1857-58 he was a Re publican member of the State Legislature, and in 1859 was elected to the State Senate. In the Republican National Convention of IS60 he led the Pennsylvania delegates who deserted Simon Cameron for Lincoln, and afterward, as chairman of the State Committee, carried Pennsylvania for the latter. In 1862, as a special assistant adju tant-general, he had charge of the draft in Penn sylvania, and in 1864 he was reelected to the State Legislature. In 1872 he led the Liberal Repub lican revolt in Pennsylvania. was chairman of that faction's Campaign Committee, and was elected as an independent to the State Senate. He was defeated as independent candidate for Mayor of Philadelphia in 1873 by scarcely 900 votes. He retired from active politics in 1875 and established the Philadelphia Times, of which he was editor until 1901. His publications in
clude: Three Thousand Miles Through the Rocky Mountains: Our Presidents and How We Make Them (MO; Recollections of Half a Century (1902) .
IVIeCLURE, ALEXANDER WILSON (1808-65). An American clergyman. Be was horn in Bos ton, was educated at Amherst College and at Andover Theological Seminary. Having filled pastorates of various Congregational churches and of the First Reformed Church, Jersey City, he became in 1855 corresponding secretary of the American and Foreign Christian Union, and in 1856 chaplain of that society in Rome, Italy. The American Chapel in Paris was erected with funds obtained by him. He was editor of the Christian Observatory and also contributed to the Yew Brunswick Review and the Literary (foul Theological Review. He published a number of controversial works and The Translators Re viewed, giving biographical sketches of the trans lators of the King James Version (18531.
McCLURE, Sir ROBERT .JOIN LE IESVRIER (1807-73). An English Arctic explorer, who was first to pass through the Northwest Passage. lIe was horn at Wexford, Ireland. studied at Eton and Sandhurst, and in 1824 entered the navy. In 1836-37 he was mate in the Arctic expedition of H.M.S. Terror, Captain Back, and in 1837 re ceived his commission as a lieutenant. From 1842 to 1846 he was in command of the Romney, receiving-ship at Havana. He joined Sir James C. Boss's first expedition in search of Franklin in 1848, and upon its return in 1849 was promoted to the rank of commander. Almost immediately upon his return from the first expedition it was decided to dispatch the same two vessels, the Enterprise and the Investigator, upon a sec ond expedition which should proceed by way of Bering Strait. McClure was appointed to the command of the Inrcstigator, with Captain Col lins, commanding the Enterprise, as senior officer of the expedition. • The Investigator, with a crew of sixty-six, was provisioned for three years. On January 20, 1850, the vessels set sail, but on April 16th were separated by a gale. The Investigator continued northward, and became finally fixed in the ice of Prince of Wales's Strait, in latitude 72° 50' N.. and longi tude 117° 55' IV. The winter of 1850-55 was passed on the northern shore of Banks Land, in a bay named by :McClure the Bay of Mercy. Here the ship remained blocked throughout 1852, hut on April 6, 1853, was reached from Mel ville Island by Lieutenant Pim of the M•so lute. The season was again unfavorable, and a fourth winter was spent in the Arctic. At last, in the spring of 1854, McClure and his crew were rescued by McClintock, who bad come from the opposite direction, and in September they arrived in England, although not in their own ship. hay ing accomplished the traverse of the Northwest Passage, the discovery of which had been a great goal of Arctic exploration. McClure was pro moted to he captain. was knighted, and was ap pointed to command the Esk of the Pacific Squadron. He returned in 1861. in 1867 was pro moted to be rear-admiral, and in 1873 was ap pointed vice-admiral on the retired list. The honor of having first discovered the Northwest Passage has been claimed by many for Sir John Franklin.