| Thomas Henry Barclay | |
| Office: | Speaker of the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia |
| Term Start: | 1793 |
| Term End: | 1799 |
| Predecessor: | Richard John Uniacke |
| Successor: | Richard John Uniacke |
| Office1: | Member of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia for the Town of Annapolis |
| Term Start1: | 1793 |
| Term End1: | 1799 |
| Predecessor1: | James De Lancey |
| Successor1: | Phineas Lovett |
| Office2: | Member of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia for Annapolis County |
| Term Start2: | 1785 |
| Term End2: | 1793 |
| Predecessor2: | Phineas Lovett |
| Successor2: | Thomas Millidge |
| Birth Date: | 12 October 1753 |
| Birth Place: | New York City, Province of New York, British America |
| Death Place: | New York City, New York, US |
| Parents: | Henry Barclay Mary Rutgers |
| Children: | 12 |
| Alma Mater: | King's College |
Thomas Henry Barclay (October 12, 1753 – April 21, 1830) was an American lawyer who became one of the United Empire Loyalists in Nova Scotia and served in the colony's government.
Thomas Henry Barclay came from a prominent New York family, the son of the Reverend Henry Barclay (1712–1764), an Anglican clergyman who served as rector of Trinity Church in New York City, and Mary Rutgers, the daughter of a wealthy brewer. His paternal uncle was merchant Andrew Barclay, who married Helena Roosevelt, granddaughter of Nicholas Roosevelt.[1]
After attending King's College (later Columbia University), he studied law with John Jay and was called to the bar in 1775.
Shortly after his marriage in 1775, his career was interrupted by the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. Barclay served with distinction, as a major, in the "Loyal American Regiment", in the British Loyalist forces, throughout the war and, with the confiscation of his New York property and having been named specifically in a Bill of Attainder in that state, he chose to join the loyalists heading to Canada.
After considering New Brunswick, Thomas Henry Barclay opted for Nova Scotia where the forces were given land grants. At one point, he had moved to Annapolis Royal and began a law practice.[2]
In 1785, he was elected to the 6th General Assembly of Nova Scotia representing Annapolis County while Edmund Fanning was governor. The next year, John Parr became governor. In 1793, Barclay was elected for Annapolis Township and served as speaker for the assembly.[3] He also served as lieutenant-colonel in the colony's militia and was boundary commissioner for the British when the border between the United States and New Brunswick was settled in Jay's Treaty. Although he was appointed to the Council for Nova Scotia in 1799, he was given the post of British consul general in New York City later that year succeeding Sir John Temple.[4] Barclay was recalled to London for the duration of the War of 1812.
Following the War of 1812, he became a member of another boundary commission dealing with another section of the border with the United States. In 1822, he settled at a country home on Manhattan.[5]
In 1775, Thomas Henry Barclay married Susan DeLancey (1754–1837), a granddaughter of Stephen Delancey. Together, they were the parents of 12 children,[6] including:[7]
Thomas Henry Barclay died there in 1830 and was buried in the Bowery.[7]