Person

Clements, Francis William (1864 - 1939)

Born
20 May 1864
Essex, United Kingdom
Died
12 December 1939
'Myoora', Toorak, Victoria, Australia
Occupation
Civil engineer and Electrical engineer

Summary

Francis Clements, MIEE MVIE MInstCE MIEAust, was a leading pioneer in the introduction of electricity services into Australia. He came to Australia in 1898 to complete negotiations for the acquisition by the "Brush Co" of supply undertakings in Victorian and South Australia. The Electric Lighting and Traction Co. of Australia was established by him, and the company established power stations at Adelaide and Geelong. The Melbourne company remained under his control until the undertaking was acquired by the State Electricity Commission. He took a leading part in standardising electrical equipment and practice, and the standard regulations that he laid down were adopted by the authorities of Victoria, South Australia, and New South Wales. He also established the scheme for the supply of electricity for the Federal capital.

His distinguished contributions to engineering were recognised when he was awarded the Kernot Memorial Medal in 1926 and the Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal in 1934.

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Details

Chronology

1880 - 1882
Career position - Pupilage, Great Eastern Railway Works
1883 - 1885
Career position - Pupilage, Anglo-American Brush Electric Light Corporation (Brush Co) works, Lambeth, London [under W M Mordey]
1885 - 1886
Career position - Assistant engineer, Brush Co works, Lambeth, London
1887 - 1893
Career position - Engineer-in-charge, Brush Co Temesvár lighting station, Hungary [the first European city to have electric street lights in 1884]
1893 - 1895
Career position - Electrical engineer and representative of the Brush Co, Vienna works, and member of the official "Representary".
1896
Career event - Member (MIEE), Institution of Electrical Engineers
1898
Life event - Migrated to Victoria, Australia
1899 -
Career position - Chief engineer and Local Managing Director, Electric Lighting and Traction Co. of Australia
1903
Career event - Member (MVIE), Victorian Institute of Engineers
1913 - 1916
Career position - Vice-President, Victorian Institute of Engineers
13 Jan 1914
Career event - Member (MInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers
1919
Career event - Foundation Associate Member (AMIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia
1920
Career event - Member (MIEAust), Institution of Engineers Australia
1925
Career position - Chairman, Electric Supply Association of Australia
1926
Award - Kernot Memorial Medal, for distinguished engineering achievement in Australia. Faculty of Engineering, University of Melbourne
1926 - 1931
Career position - Part-time Commissioner, State Electricity Commission of Victoria
1931 - 1937
Career position - Chairman, State Electricity Commission of Victoria
1934
Award - Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal - Career Achievement Award in Engineering, Institution of Engineers Australia
1937
Life event - Retired

Related Awards

Related Corporate Bodies

Related People

Published resources

Edited Books

  • Gibbney, H. J.; and Smith, Ann G. eds, A Biographical register 1788-1939 : notes from the name index of the Australian Dictionary of biography. (2 volumes) (Canberra: Australian Dictionary of Biography, 1987), 429 pp. Details

Journal Articles

  • 'Prizes of the Institution [Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal; Warren Memorial Medal; Edward Noyes Prize; Electrical Association Premium; Institution of Engineers Prize]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 7 (1935), 29. Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal. [1934] Awarded to Mr F W Clements, MIEAust, Chairman, State Electricity Commission of Victoria. Details
  • 'Memoirs: Francis William Clements, MIEAust', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 12 (1940), 122. Details
  • Institution of Engineers Australia, 'Fifteenth Annual Report [1934]', Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, 7 (1935), 133-138. 'Prizes - Peter Nicol Russell Memorial Medal [1934] to Mr F W Clements, MIEAust, Melbourne Division', p.134. Details

Resources

See also

Ken McInnes

Created: 4 December 2018, Last modified: 27 July 2023

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