Joseph James Clark, (29 July 1897 – 9 December 1992) was a Labor Party politician, serving in the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. The term of members of the ...

as the Member for Darling from 15 September 1934 to 29 September 1969, a term of making him one of the longest-serving members of the House of Representatives.

Early life

Clark was born on 29 July 1897 in

Coonamble, New South Wales Coonamble is a town on the central-western plains of New South Wales, Australia. It lies on the Castlereagh Highway north-west of Gilgandra. At the 2016 census, Coonamble had a population of 2,750. It is the regional hub for wheat growing and s ...

. He was the eldest of four children born to Elizabeth Ellen (née Finlay) and Joseph Alfred Clark. His father was a tailor by profession. Clark was educated at St Brigid's Convent School and Coonamble Public School before completing his education as a boarder at Holy Cross College, Ryde. He returned to Coonamble in 1915 and began an apprenticeship with his father, but also studied engineering by correspondence and was articled to a surveyor. In 1920, his father was elected to state parliament, with Clark taking over the family business. At its peak it employed over 30 people and had shops in Coonamble,

Baradine Baradine is a small town in north western New South Wales, Australia. At the , Baradine had a population of 593. Baradine is located on the Coonabarabran-Pilliga road, about midway between Coonabarabran and Pilliga, New South Wales, Pilliga. ...

Dubbo Dubbo () is a city in the Orana Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is the largest population centre in the Orana region, with a population of 43,516 at June 2021. The city is located at the intersection of the Newell, Mitchell, and Gol ...

, and Walgett. However, during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

most staff were laid off and all except the Coonamble shop were closed.

Politics

Clark joined the ALP at the age of 16. He served on the Coonamble Municipal Council from 1925 to 1934, including as mayor for three years. He was associated with the Lang Labor faction and unsuccessfully sought preselection for the seat of

Darling Darling is a term of endearment of Old English origin. Darling or Darlin' or Darlings may also refer to: People * Darling (surname) * Darling Jimenez (born 1980), American boxer * Darling Légitimus (1907–1999), French actress Places Austral ...

prior to the 1931 federal election. Clark was elected to the House of Representatives at the 1934 election, defeating the incumbent ALP MP

Arthur Blakeley Arthur Blakeley (3 July 1886 – 27 June 1972) was an Australian politician who served in the House of Representatives from 1917 to 1934, representing the Labor Party. He was the party's deputy leader from 1928 to 1929 and served as Minister ...

. Clark sat on a number of industry committees and bodies, including the Australian Meat Industry Commission from 1942 to 1943, the Federal Meat Advisory Committee from 1943 to 1946, and in 1946 he led a delegation to the Iron and Steel Committee. He served as chairman of committees from 1946 to 1949. In 1970 he was appointed a

CBE 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 ...

. He was the last surviving MP who served during the Prime Ministerships of

Joseph Lyons Joseph Aloysius Lyons (15 September 1879 – 7 April 1939) was an Australian politician who served as the List of prime ministers of Australia by time in office, 10th Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1932 until his death in 1939. He ...

, Earle Page, the first tenure of

Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...

and Arthur Fadden. Lang Labor 1935

Personal life

Clark married Mary Elizabeth Regan in 1927, with whom he had two sons and two daughters. He was widowed in 1962 and the following year married Melbourne Mary "Mollie" Regan, his brother-in-law's ex-wife. He was widowed again in 1985 and died on 9 December 1992 at Bondi, New South Wales, aged 95.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Joe 1897 births 1992 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Australia Lang Labor members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Darling Members of the Australian House of Representatives Australian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Australian tailors Mayors of places in New South Wales 20th-century Australian politicians