William Lionel Russell Clarke (31 March 1876 – 14 May 1954) was an Australian politician. He was born in

South Yarra South Yarra is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Cities of Melbourne and Stonnington local government areas. South Yarra recorded a popul ...

to grazier

William John Clarke Sir William John Clarke, 1st Baronet (31 March 1831 – 15 May 1897), was an Australian businessman and philanthropist in the Colony of Victoria. He was raised to the baronetage in 1882, the first Victorian to be granted a hereditary honour. ...

(later a baronet) and Janet Marion Snodgrass. He attended Melbourne Grammar School, Scotch College, Trinity College, Melbourne while attending the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

and finally

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, where he received a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in 1902. He had inherited part of his father's

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...

estate in 1897. On 23 September 1908 he married Florence Douglas Mackenzie, with whom he had three children. In 1910 he purchased the Rupertswood estate from his brother Sir Rupert Clarke; he sold the Ballarat property in 1912 and Rupertswood in 1922, and farmed near

Albury Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – the ...

from 1912 to 1919 and at

Hume Weir Hume Dam, formerly the Hume Weir, is a major dam across the Murray River downstream of its junction with the Mitta River in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The dam's purpose includes flood mitigation, hydro-power, irrigation, ...

from 1919 to 1922. In 1922 he moved to South Yarra, where he was a member of the Melbourne University Council and the

Melbourne Club The Melbourne Club is a private social club established in 1838 and located at 36 Collins Street, Melbourne. The club is a symbol of Australia's British social heritage and was established at a gathering of 23 gentlemen on Saturday, 17 Decembe ...

. In 1910 he won a by-election for the Victorian Legislative Council's Southern Province. A non- Labor member, he was successively a member of the

Nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

and United Australia parties. He lost his seat in 1937, and died at South Yarra in 1954. His son

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...

was also a member of the Legislative Council.

References

1876 births 1954 deaths Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria United Australia Party members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Council People educated at Trinity College (University of Melbourne) People from South Yarra, Victoria Politicians from Melbourne People educated at Melbourne Grammar School Alumni of the University of Oxford University of Melbourne alumni People educated at Scotch College, Melbourne {{Australia-Nationalist-politician-stub