Biographical entry Clarke, Andrew (1824 - 1902)

Summary

(Sir) Andrew Clarke was Surveyor-General of the Colony of Victoria and was a member of both Victoria's Legislative Council and Assembly. He was also heavily involved in many societies and organisations including stints as inaugural president of the Philosophical Society of Victoria (1854), and inaugural president of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria (1855-57). As a member of the Legislative Council, Clarke was involved in drafting the colony's new Constitution and the Municipal Institutions Act. He also instigated the creation of the Museum of Natural History, selected the sites of the Botanic Gardens and St Paul's Anglican Cathedral, instigated the recording of meteorological data, and set about establishing a pure water supply for Melbourne. Clarke returned to the United Kingdom in 1859c but continued to work on special commissions for the Victorian and Tasmanian governments and served as their agent-general for varying periods.

Details

Events

1844

Education - Graduated from the Royal Military Academy, UK

1844 - 1886

Career position - Member of the Royal Engineers, UK

26 January 1847 - 26 January 1848

Life event - Posted to Australia (Hobart Town)

1848 - 1849

Career position - Posted to New Zealand

1849 - 1853

Career position - Returned to Hobart as Private Secretary to the Lieutenant-Governor

1853 -

Career position - Surveyor-General of the Colony of Victoria

1853 - 1856

Career position - Elected to the Legislative Council of Victoria

1854

Career position - Vice-President of the Victorian Institute for the Advancement of Science

1854

Career position - President of the Philosophical Society of Victoria

1855 - 1857

Career position - President of the Philosophical Institute of Victoria

1856 - c. 1859

Career position - Elected to the Legislative Assembly of Victoria

c. 1859

Life event - Returned to England

Related entries

Published resources

Book Sections

• Malone, Betty, 'Clarke, Sir Andrew (1824-1902)', in Douglas Pike (ed.), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 3, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1969, pp. 409-411. Also available at http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A030386b.htm. Details

Online Resources

• 'Clarke, Andrew', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1476021. Details

See also

• Federation and Meteorology, 2001, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/fam/scripts/fam-dynindex.php3?EID=P003092. Details
• Science and the making of Victoria, with Royal Society of Victoria, 2001, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/smv/scripts/smv-dynindex.php3?EID=P003092. Details