William Edward Cleary was a U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

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Born in Ellenville, New York

Ellenville, New York

Ellenville is a village in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 4,135 at the 2010 census. The postal ZIP code is 12428. The telephone exchange is predominantly 647 and an overlaid 210 in the 845 area code.- Geography :...

, Cleary attended the public schools and the Ellenville Academy.
He moved to Brooklyn in 1879 and engaged in water transportation.
He served as vice president of the New York Board of Trade and Transportation.
He was a founder, and served as president, of the Victory Memorial Hospital.

Cleary was elected as a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 to the Sixty-fifth

65th United States Congress

The Sixty-fifth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1917 to March 4, 1919, during the fourth and fifth...

 Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Daniel J. Griffin

Daniel J. Griffin

Daniel Joseph Griffin was a U.S. Representative from New York.-Early life:Born in Brooklyn, New York, Griffin attended the parochial schools, St. Laurent College near Montreal, Canada and St. Peter's College in Jersey City.-Public Life:Griffin graduated in law from the New York Law School...

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He was reelected to the Sixty-sixth

66th United States Congress

The Sixty-sixth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, comprising the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1919 to March 4, 1921, during the last two years of...

 Congress and served from March 5, 1918, to March 3, 1921.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1920 to the Sixty-seventh

67th United States Congress

The Sixty-seventh United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1921 to March 4, 1923, during the first two years...

 Congress.

Cleary was elected to the Sixty-eighth

68th United States Congress

The Sixty-eighth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1923 to March 4, 1925, during the last months of...

 and Sixty-ninth

69th United States Congress

The Sixty-ninth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1925 to March 4, 1927, during the third and fourth...

 Congresses (March 4, 1923-March 3, 1927).
He was not a candidate for reelection in 1926.
He resumed his former business interests.
He died in Brooklyn, New York, December 20, 1932.
He was interred in Holy Cross Cemetery.