A native of Oskaloosa, Iowa, Admiral Clarey graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and was commissioned an Ensign in May 1934.

His first assignment was aboard the cruiser Milwaukee. He completed submarine training in 1937 and was executive officer of the submarine Dolphin during the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. During World War II, he was executive officer of the submarine Amberjack and made four war patrols as commanding officer of the submarine Pintado. He was executive officer of the heavy cruiser Helena during the Korean War.

Following a tour as Commander, Submarine Division Fifty-two and duty in Washington, D.C., including a year at the National War College, Admiral Clarey returned to Pearl Harbor in 1956 as Chief of Staff and Aide to Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. He was selected for Rear Admiral in 1958 and assigned to the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

In July 1962, Admiral Clarey returned again to Pearl Harbor as Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. In 1964 he was promoted to Vice Admiral and became Deputy Commander, and Chief of Staff and Aide to the Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet.

He became Commander, U.S. Second Fleet and Commander, NATO Striking Force Atlantic in August 1966. In 1968, he was promoted to the rank of Admiral and appointed Vice Chief of Naval Operations. Admiral Clarey returned to Pearl Harbor in December 1970 as Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet and retired from the Navy on October 1, 1973.

Admiral Clarey was with the Bank of Hawaii as a Vice President until retirement in June 1977 at the age of 65. He served on the Board of Directors of the Aloha Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Hawaii Heart Association, the Rotary Club of Honolulu, and was a member of the Pacific Asian Affairs Council and the Social Science Association.

One of the Navy's most highly decorated officers, Admiral Clarey was awarded three Navy Crosses, five Distinguished Service Medals, the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, and Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V". He also earned numerous civic awards including an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Humane Letters from William Penn College and the Stephen Decatur Award for Operational Competence from the Navy League of the United States. Many of his personal memorabilia are now on display at the Bowfin Museum, which he helped establish here in Pearl Harbor.

Admiral Clarey passed away on June 15, 1996 and is survived by his wife, the former Jean Scott; two sons, Stephen (a retired Navy Rear Admiral) and Michael (a Navy Vietnam veteran and international banker); five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.