William Clarke (Australian politician)

William Clarke (26 June 1843 – 9 March 1903) was an Australian businessman and member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.^[1]

Clarke was born in Melbourne, son of William Joseph Sayers Clarke by his marriage with Miss Mary Ann Welsford.^[2] William Clarke married Mary Ann Mortimer on 25 June 1862 in Melbourne, later moving to Sydney.^[2] Clarke was a Justice of the Peace for the colonies of New South Wales and Victoria, Australia.^[2]

On 24 November 1880 Clarke was elected member for Orange in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, until being defeated at the general election in January 1889.^[1] Clarke was Minister of Justice in the administration of Sir Henry Parkes, from 20 January 1887 to 10 January 1889.^[2] He held important positions in connection with financial institutions in the colonies, and became Managing Director of the London branch of the Standard Bank of Australia. He was a member of the New South Wales Commission in London for the Colonial and Indian Exhibition of 1886.^[2]

Clarke died on 9 March 1903 in Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa.^[1]

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