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of Edward VI., and was famous among
the ancient grammar schools of Northern
England. At sixteen years of age he was
apprenticed, according to the old English
custom, to the joiner trade with an old
established firm in Bradford. This firm
built and restored ancient churches. Upon
his arrival in America, Mr. Cliffoffrd was
first employed at Bound Brook, New
Jersey, and then in Rochester, New York.
In 1891, at the instigation of a Mr.
James Telford, of Bridgeport, Connecti-
cut, whom he had known in Yorkshire,
and who at that time was foreman for
the Longstaffe & Hurd Company, contractors
for the Wadsworth Atheneum
Building, Mr. Clifford secured a position
as assistant in the work on the Wadsworth
and Public Library buildings. At
the completion of the work he was ap-
pointed superintendent by the trustees
and held this position until his death.
Mr. Clifford was an earnest student of
political economy. In his native land he
never lost an opportunity to hear the
speakers, W. E. Foster and Edward
Miall, who were the Liberal and Radical
members of the city of Bradford. On his
arrival in this country, American politics
claimed his attention as keenly as had the
English politics in his home land. Upon
his arrival in Hartford he took out his
naturalization papers as he knew Hartford
was to be his permanent home. It was
only a short time until Mr. Clifford was
in a position to show his ability to serve
the public in official capacity. He was
a member of the Board of Council for
four years and on the Board of Aldermen
for two years. His success was in a
measure due to his interest in all matters
pertaining to his municipal duties. He
never missed a meeting, and received
oftentimes more than his share of com-
mittee work. When on the Board of Aldermen
he served as chairman of the
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
247
board of finance. He was appointed by
Mayor Henney a member of the Board
of Street Commissioners and served until
the advent of the late Edward Hooker
into office as mayor. From that time
until his decease, Mr. Clifford devoted
his entire energies to the chairmanship
of the Republican committee of the
Fourth Ward and to the school of the
Northwest District, having been first
elected to the school committee about
eighteen years ago. During the enlargement
of the school, Mr. Clifford gave all
of his attention and spare time to the
work.
— :
In 1901, at the organization of the Get-
To-Gether Club, Mr. Clifford was one of
its first members and served one year as
president of the club. From 1901 until
his death he was continuously on the program
committee. He was also a member
of St. Andrew's Neighborhood Club.
Through much reading and keen obser-
vation, Mr. Clifford kept himself ever
alive to the economic and political issues
of the day, and at his clubs was often
helpful in his contributions in this line.
His affable personality and charm of
manner drew around him many friends
who admired him not only for his intel-
lectual knowledge but for his agreeableness
and companionableness as well. He
will be greatly missed in the circles where
he was wont to gather.
The following is a tribute from Forrest
W. Morgan, librarian of the Watkinson
Public Library of Hartford, Connecticut
The perfect horror I felt at Mr. Clifford's
and I am proud to say—my friend's utterly undreamed
of death makes it hard to say anything
worthy of him and satisfying my own wishes;
but I must not let him pass without telling you
what I thought of him and what his loss is to me.
Our actual companioning seemed so little, because
our work was on different lines, that it seems
affected to say that no one outside my own fam-
ily could have brought such a sense of bereave-