He was born in 1819,[1] most likely in New Brunswick, New Jersey. He married Eliza J. (1819-1901) around 1838 in New York.
He had a business in Manhattan, New York City, which in 1852 obtained the rights to sell "Dalley's magical pain extractor", a medicated ointment.[2][3]
Clickener served as director of the Columbia Fire Insurance Company in New York City.[4] In 1855, he spearheaded the effort to incorporate Hoboken as a city. Hoboken residents approved the city charter by a vote of 237 to 185 on March 28, 1855.[5] Clickener was elected as the first mayor of Hoboken on April 10, 1855.[6]
In 1856, Clickener was appointed as Bank Commissioner for the State of New Jersey by Governor Rodman M. Price.[7] He was defeated for re-election for mayor in 1857. A Democrat, he served as a member of the New Jersey Senate from Hudson County from 1857 to 1859.[4]
^"Clickner". The New York Times. February 17, 1864. p. 5. Retrieved 2009-08-06. On Wednesday, Feb. 17, Cornelius V. Clickener, in the 46th year of his age.