P000093 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 1993-10-20 human Gavan McCarthy updated 2024-10-16 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P000093b.htm person Clarke William John AACR2 31 March 1831 15 May 1897 Place of Birth Lovely Banks, Tasmania, Australia Place of Death Victoria, Australia Stud-breeder Philanthropist Agriculturalist Sir William Clarke was a prominent colonist who contributed greatly to all facets of life in Victoria. He was one of Victoria's top stud-breeders, but was also heavily involved in other areas such as the Freemasons, the Legislative Council and the Colonial Bank of Australia. Clarke was a great benefactor and freely gave large sums of money to charitable institutes.

Clarke was a very successful livestock farmer. He was an advocate of farming based on sound scientific principles and organized for lectures in agricultural chemistry to take place across Victoria's farming communities. Clarke imported top quality equipment and animal stocks to establish some of Victoria's best farms. His farming interests, which even expanded to Queensland, included a model tenant farm, Leicester and merino sheep, Aberdeen Angus cattle and draught and thoroughbred horses.

Clarke was also great supporter of the arts and many local organizations including the Victorian Freemasons Society, the Blind Asylum, and in 1882 on a trip to England he established the Clarke Music Scholarship (3000 guineas) for entry to the Royal College of Music. He was governor of the Colonial Bank of Australia for twenty years and president of numerous organizations including the Homoeopathic Hospital, agricultural societies, The Australian Club, The Victorian Football League and the Melbourne Cricket Club. During the late 1870s Clarke became disillusioned with the lack of colonial defence so established his own battery of horse artillery.

1862 1862 Life event - Elected to the Melbourne Club 1874 1891 Career position - President, West Bourke Agricultural Society, Victoria 1877 1877 Career position - President (inaugural) of the Victorian Football Association 1878 1897 Career position - Legislative Council Southern Province representative 1880 1881 Career position - President of the Melbourne Exhibition 1880 1886 Career position - President, Melbourne Cricket Club 1881 1881 Career position - Provincial Grand Master of the Irish Constitution of the Victorian Freemason Society 1882 1882 Award - Baronet 1882 1882 Career position - Clark Music Scholarship established in England 1884 1884 Career position - District Grand Master of the Scottish and English Constitutions of the Victorian Freemason Society 1886 1886 Education - Honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD (Hon)), University of Cambridge, UK 1887 1887 Career position - President, Australia Club 1888 Career event - Original [founding] member, Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science 1889 1889 Career position - Inaugural Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of Victoria 1890 1890 Career position - President, Australia Club Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science (1888 - 1930)

Original [founding] member 1888 -

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VIAF - Virtual International Authority File

 Clarke, William John (1831-1897)

Trove

 'Clarke, William John', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Clarke, William John Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Book Section: Clarke, Sir William John (1831-1897), landowner, stud-breeder and philanthropist Morrissey, Sylvia Clarke, Sir William John (1831-1897), landowner, stud-breeder and philanthropist Melbourne Melbourne University Press 1969 Australian dictionary of biography, volume 3: 1851 - 1890 A-C Douglas Pike 422-424