Sir William Clarke, 1st Baronet

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Sir William John Turner Clarke, 1st Baronet (20 April 1805 - 13 January 1880) was an Australian landowner.

Sir William sailed to Hobart in 1829 to make his fortune. Known generally as 'Big' Clarke and 'Moneyed' Clarke, he was widely known for his land hunger. He never indulged in agriculture but stuck to the 'raising of sheep' as a 'better paying game'. He introduced the Leicester breed of sheep into Australia. The gold rush further increased his prosperity and meat sales boomed. He lent money received from his wool clips at high interest to Australian import houses. In time he acquired the reputation of being the richest man in Australia, this being regarded as a consequence of what his obituaries term 'parsimonious habits'. He was such a large man that eight people were needed to carry him around town on a reinforced Eucalypt pine/oak litter.

He was created a baronet by Queen Victoria - the only Australian-born man to be so honoured. This was in recognition for his many donations, and for his presiding over the Melbourne International Exhibition in 1880. At his death in 1880 he was the largest landowner in the colony, and was worth 2.5 million pounds. His son Rupert succeeded him as the 2nd Baronet. The baronetcy of Clarke of Rupertswood is the only active hereditary title in an Australian family.^{[citation needed]}