Charles Goddard Clarke (10 May 1849 – 7 March 1908) was a

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businessman and

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politician. The son of Richard Clarke and his wife Mary ''née'' Millard, he was educated in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

. He left school early, entering employment with a relative. In 1873 he married Rebecca Potter and in 1875 became a partner in Potter & Clarke Limited, wholesale druggists, of Artillery Lane, London. He lived in the

Peckham Peckham () is a district in southeast London, within the London Borough of Southwark. It is south-east of Charing Cross. At the United Kingdom Census 2001, 2001 Census the Peckham ward had a population of 14,720. History "Peckham" is a Saxon p ...

area of South London, and was a member of the Coopers Company of the

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. A

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, he was a member of the

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. At the 1895 general election he unsuccessfully contested the constituency of

Dulwich Dulwich (; ) is an area in south London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark, with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth, and consists of Dulwich Village, East Dulwich, West Dulwich, and the Southwark half of ...

for the Liberal Party. In 1898 he was elected to the

London County Council London County Council (LCC) was the principal local government body for the County of London throughout its existence from 1889 to 1965, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today kno ...

as a member of the Liberal-backed

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majority group, representing Peckham. He was re-elected in 1901 and 1904.''London County Council Election'', The Times, March 7, 1904, p.12 In

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...

he was once more a Liberal parliamentary candidate, standing at

Mile End Mile End is a district of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of London, England, east-northeast of Charing Cross. Situated on the London-to-Colchester road, it was one of the earliest suburbs of London. It became part of the m ...

, but again without success. With the creation of the

Metropolitan Borough of Camberwell Camberwell was a civil parish and metropolitan borough in south London, England. Camberwell was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey, governed by an administrative vestry from 1674. The parish was included in the area of responsibility ...

in 1900, Clarke was made an

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on the borough council, and was

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of Camberwell in 1902–1903. The 1906 general election was Clarke's third attempt to enter the

Commons The commons is the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society, including natural materials such as air, water, and a habitable Earth. These resources are held in common even when owned privately or publicly. Commons ...

, and he was chosen to contest the constituency of

. There was a large swing to the Liberals, and he won the seat, defeating the sitting

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Sir Frederick Banbury. Although not formally a member of the Liberal-Labour group, he was described by ''

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'' as "an addition to the Labour group of members". Early in 1908 Clarke became ill, and died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

at his home at

Champion Hill Champion Hill is a football stadium in East Dulwich in the London Borough of Southwark. It is the home ground of Dulwich Hamlet. History Dulwich Hamlet began playing at the ground in 1912. 'The Hill' was formerly one of the largest amateur gro ...

in March, aged 68. He was buried at

Nunhead Cemetery Nunhead Cemetery is one of the Magnificent Seven cemeteries in London, England. It is perhaps the least famous and celebrated of them. The cemetery is located in Nunhead in the London Borough of Southwark and was originally known as All Saints' ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Charles Goddard 1849 births 1908 deaths UK MPs 1906–1910 Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Members of London County Council Members of Camberwell Metropolitan Borough Council Progressive Party (London) politicians Burials at Nunhead Cemetery Deaths from pneumonia in England Politicians from Liverpool Mayors of places in Greater London