Background
He was boen in New York on October 12, 1753. His father, Henry Barclay, was rector of Trinity Church; his mother, Mary (Rutgers) Barclay, was the daughter of Anthony Rutgers, a rich brewer.
He was boen in New York on October 12, 1753. His father, Henry Barclay, was rector of Trinity Church; his mother, Mary (Rutgers) Barclay, was the daughter of Anthony Rutgers, a rich brewer.
Thomas was educated at King's College (Columbia), and studied law in the office of John Jay.
As a Loyalist he suffered the loss of his property, and this act is said to have been the first confiscation of Tory property in the state. The Whig committee in charge of operations caused his "hay, forage, stock, and grain, except so much as was necessary to support his family and slaves, to be seized; but it was appraised, sold, and the value deposited in the state treasury until more definite action should be taken".
Barclay enlisted as captain in the regiment of Loyal Americans in the army of Sir William Howe, was promoted to the rank of major for gallantry at the capture of Forts Clinton and Montgomery, and served until the end of the war. At its close, like so many other Loyalists, he took refuge in Nova Scotia. For over thirty years he held office under the British government. In the colony he was speaker of the Assembly, adjutant-general of militia, and commissary for prisoners.
He was consul-general of Great Britain for the northern and eastern states in the decade before the second war with England, and in this important office he exerted his influence toward modifying the harsh measures of the home government. He was also commissioner to carry out the terms of the Jay Treaty (1795), and after the close of the War of 1812 he held a similar position to carry out the provisions of the Treaty of Ghent. His character stood high, and his Loyalist sentiments, as is shown by his correspondence, never wavered. He went to New York as consul-general in 1799 and remained there, with interruptions, until his death in 1830. His Correspondence (published in 1894) has thrown light on the strained relations between England and the United States prior to the War of 1812.
He was a convinced royalist.
He was married on October 2, 1775, to Susanna De Lancey.