John Clarence Lee

John Clarence Lee (October 15, 1856 – September 16, 1940) was an American minister, academic, author, and university president. He was the president of St. Lawrence University and Lombard University. He was the pastor of the Universalist Church of the Restoration in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for nineteen years

Early life and education John Clarence Lee was born on October 15, 1856, in South Woodstock, Vermont. He was the son of Elmina (née Bennett) and John Stebbins Lee, a minister with the Universalist General Convention and the first president of St. Lawrence University. His mother was a teacher and artist. He enrolled as a senior at Harvard University in 1877, graduating with an A.B. degree in 1878.

In 1880, he received a Master's of Arts in divinity from the St. Lawrence University's Canton Theological School. He received an honorary Ph.D. from St. Lawrence University in 1895. In 1896, he received a Doctor of Sacred Theology (STD) from Tufts University. He was inaugurated on June 23, 1896. During his tenure as president, Lee enlarged the endowment, curriculum, and the number of students. They had five children: Cuthbert Lee, Dorothy Lee, Constance Lee, Janet Lee, and Roland Lee. The couple traveled overseas in 1893 and 1912. In 1929, after his retirement, the couple spent two years traveling around the world, including staying eight months in Tasmania with their daughter Constance.

Lee was the president of the Cape Ann Historical Association and president of the Associated Charities in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He was a member of the Loyal Order of Moose.

Lee died at his sister's home in Cambridge, Massachusetts on September 16, 1940, at the age of 83 years.