Alexander McAllister Clydesdale MBE (16 July 1875 – 24 January 1947) was an Australian politician who served in both houses of the

Parliament of Western Australia The Parliament of Western Australia is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Western Australia, forming the legislative branch of the Government of Western Australia. The parliament consists of a lower house, the Legislati ...

, as a member of the Legislative Assembly from 1921 to 1930 and as a member of the Legislative Council from 1932 to 1938. Clydesdale was born in Ballarat,

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, to Kate (née Glenn) and James Robert Clydesdale. He was articled to an architect for a period and then trained as a plumber. In 1894, during the

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New ...

, Clydesdale left for Western Australia, living first in Cue and later in Mount Magnet. He was elected to the Mount Magnet Municipal Council in 1899, aged only 24, and was later elected mayor.Alexander McAllister Clydesdale
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 26 June 2016. At the time of his election, he was believed to be the youngest mayor in the state. At the 1901 state election, Clydesdale contested the seat of Mount Magnet as a Ministerialist (a supporter of the government of

George Throssell George Lionel Throssell (23 May 1840 – 30 August 1910) was the second Premier of Western Australia. He served for just three months, from 15 February to 27 May 1901, during a period of great instability in Western Australian politics. Geor ...

), but was defeated by Frank Wallace. In 1903, Clydesdale moved to

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

. He became involved with horse racing, serving as secretary of two racing clubs, and eventually came to own racecourses in Belmont, Bicton, and Kensington. Clydesdale was elected mayor of the South Perth Municipality in 1913, and would serve until 1921. In 1920, he was made a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE), for services to the war effort. At the 1921 state election, Clydesdale contested the seat of Canning for the Labor Party, defeating Robert Robinson of the Nationalist Party (a former

attorney-general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

). Clydesdale was re-elected at the

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China holds ...

and 1927 state elections, but was defeated by Nationalist candidate Herbert Wells at the 1930 election. He re-entered parliament at the 1932 Legislative Council election, defeating Sir William Lathlain in

Metropolitan-Suburban Province The Metropolitan-Suburban Province was a three-member electoral province of the Western Australian Legislative Council, located in the metropolitan region of Perth. It was created by the ''Constitution Acts Amendment Act 1899'', and became effect ...

. In 1933, Clydesdale was appointed chairman of the State Lotteries Commission, but he had to resign the position the following year over a perceived conflict of interest. Clydesdale was defeated by James Dimmitt at the 1938 election, and was subsequently re-appointed to the Lotteries Commission. He died in Perth in January 1947, aged 71."Mr. A. Clydesdale Dies, Aged 71"
'' The Daily News'', 25 January 1947. Clydesdale had married twice, to May Smith in 1902, with whom he had three children, and to Lilian Knights in 1942.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clydesdale, Alec 1875 births 1947 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia Horse racing venue owners Mayors of places in Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council People from Ballarat Australian Members of the Order of the British Empire Western Australian local councillors