Joseph W. McClurg was educated at Xenia Academy and Oxford College, and taught school in Louisiana and Mississippi. He returned to St. Louis, where he served as deputy for his uncle, Sheriff Marshall Brotherton, and studied law. McClurg engaged in lead mining and merchandising, creating a vital supply route through rural Missouri. He ventured to the California gold rush, operating a miner's store before returning to Missouri and establishing a business supplying settlers and merchants across multiple states.

Joseph W. McClurg's political identity is marked by a complex interplay of personal history and ideological evolution. His early involvement in lead mining and business ventures reveals a pragmatic approach to economic development, yet his later advocacy for immediate emancipation and Radical Republican policies during Reconstruction presents a striking ideological shift. McClurg's strategic alliances and policy stances often juxtapose his earlier slave ownership with his fervent anti-slavery activism, creating a compelling tension in his political narrative. His rhetorical style likely balances regional economic interests with broader moral imperatives, prompting deeper inquiry into how he reconciles these seemingly disparate elements.