Henry Clarke (Australian politician)

Henry Clarke (22 June 1822 – 22 November 1907) was an Australian businessman and politician in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.

Broulee in 1843; painted by John Skinner Prout in watercolour and gouache

Clarke was born in Maghera, County Londonderry, Ireland, he emigrated to New South Wales in 1841 and he farmed for a while at Broulee. He returned to Sydney and married Jane Rayner in 1847 and they eventually had eleven children. He and Robert Gee established a successful shipping agency and owned three ships operating between Sydney and Melbourne by 1861. In the early 1860s, he lived for a period at Bergalia station near Moruya, but returned to Sydney in 1865 and worked at his agency until 1894.[1]

Parliamentary career

In 1860, he contested the seat of Eden and lost to Daniel Egan. In 1869 he re-contested Eden and won. He held the seat continually until he was beaten 1894 by William Wood and then after a gap of 13 months won a by-election for Bega, which he held until 1904. He was briefly Postmaster General in early 1889. He was noted as a hard-working parliamentarian.[2]

Clarke died in Randwick. On his eightieth birthday he had claimed to have two hundred grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.[1]

References

  1. Rutledge, Martha. "Clarke, Henry (1822-1907)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Melbourne University Press. ISSN 1833-7538. Retrieved 17 December 2020 via National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
  2. "Mr Henry Clarke (1822-1907)". Former Members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 11 May 2019.

 

Political offices
Preceded by
Charles Roberts
Postmaster-General
January–March 1889
Succeeded by
John Kidd
New South Wales Legislative Assembly
Preceded by
Daniel Egan
Member for Eden
1869 1880
Succeeded by
Henry Clarke
James Garvan
Preceded by
Henry Clarke
Member for Eden
1880 1894
Served alongside: James Garvan
Succeeded by
William Wood
Preceded by
Thomas Rawlinson
Member for Bega
1895 1904
Succeeded by
William Wood



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