Benjamin Clark Cutler

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Benjamin Clarke Cutler (September 15, 1756 – April 1810) was a Boston merchant who also served as the sheriff of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, from 1798 to 1810.

Early life
Cutler was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to John Cutler and Mary Clarke Cutler. His mother was the sister of a wealthy attorney named Benjamin Clarke.

Career
For many years, Cutler was a prominent merchant in Boston. On July 31, 1798, he was appointed Sheriff of Norfolk County and served in that role until his death in 1810.

Family life
Cutler first married Mary Sheafe, who died in 1788. They had one child, Mary Ann Cutler, who died young (1786–1788). In 1794 he married Sarah Mitchell Hyrne of Georgetown, South Carolina, widow of Dr. William Alexander Hyrne. Together, they had six children:
- Mary Eliza Cutler (who married Dr. John Wakefield Francis)
- Julia Rush Cutler (1795–1824), who married Samuel Ward III
- Rev. Benjamin Clark Cutler (1798–1863), rector of St. Ann’s Church in Brooklyn, who married Harriett Bancroft
- Louisa Charlotte Cutler (1801–1869), who married Matthew Hall McAllister
- Francis Marion Cutler, who married Caroline D. Martin

Cutler died in April 1810 at his home on Centre Street in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts.

Descendants
Through his daughter Julia, Cutler was the grandfather of Julia Ward Howe (1819–1910), a famous writer and reformer. Through his daughter Louisa, he was the grandfather of Ward McAllister (1827–1895), a notable New York social figure. He was also the grandfather of Dr. Samuel Ward Francis (1835–1886) through his daughter Mary Eliza (Eliza).