Alexander McAllister Clydesdale MBE (16 July 1875 – 24 January 1947) was an Australian politician who served in both houses of the

Parliament of Western Australia The Parliament of Western Australia is the bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia, which constitutes the legislative branch of the state's political system. The parl ...

, as a member of the Legislative Assembly from 1921 to 1930 and as a member of the

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

from 1932 to 1938. Clydesdale was born in

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) () is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Ballarat had a population of 111,973, making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australia and the third-largest city in Victoria. Within mo ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

, to Kate (née Glenn) and James Robert Clydesdale. He was articled to an architect for a period and then trained as a plumber. In 1894, during the

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...

, Clydesdale left for Western Australia, living first in Cue and later in

Mount Magnet Mount is often used as part of the name of specific mountains, e.g. Mount Everest. Mount or Mounts may also refer to: Places * Mount, Cornwall, a village in Warleggan parish, England * Mount, Perranzabuloe, a hamlet in Perranzabuloe parish, ...

. He was elected to the Mount Magnet Municipal Council in 1899, aged only 24, and was later elected mayor.Alexander McAllister Clydesdale
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 26 June 2016. At the time of his election, he was believed to be the youngest mayor in the state. At the 1901 state election, Clydesdale contested the seat of Mount Magnet as a Ministerialist (a supporter of the government of

George Throssell George Throssell (23 May 1840 – 30 August 1910) was the second Premier of Western Australia. He served for just three months, from 15 February to 27 May 1901, during a period of great instability in Western Australian politics. George Thros ...

), but was defeated by Frank Wallace. In 1903, Clydesdale moved to

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

. He became involved with horse racing, serving as secretary of two racing clubs, and eventually came to own racecourses in Belmont, Bicton, and

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

. Clydesdale was elected mayor of the South Perth Municipality in 1913, and would serve until 1921. In 1920, he was made a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE), for services to the war effort. At the 1921 state election, Clydesdale contested the seat of Canning for the Labor Party, defeating Robert Robinson of the Nationalist Party (a former

attorney-general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

). Clydesdale was re-elected at the

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20–January 30, 30 – Kuomintang in Ch ...

and 1927 state elections, but was defeated by Nationalist candidate Herbert Wells at the 1930 election. He re-entered parliament at the 1932 Legislative Council election, defeating Sir

William Lathlain Sir William Lathlain (1862–1936) was the Mayor of the City of Perth in Western Australia from 1918 to 1923, and Lord Mayor from 1930 to 1932. Poems were written about him after his first mayoral role. He contested seats in state politics. He ...

Metropolitan-Suburban Province The Metropolitan-Suburban Province was a three-member electoral province of the Western Australian Legislative Council, located in the metropolitan region of Perth. It was created by the ''Constitution Acts Amendment Act 1899'', and became effect ...

. In 1933, Clydesdale was appointed chairman of the State Lotteries Commission, but he had to resign the position the following year over a perceived conflict of interest. Clydesdale was defeated by James Dimmitt at the 1938 election, and was subsequently re-appointed to the Lotteries Commission. He died in Perth in January 1947, aged 71."Mr. A. Clydesdale Dies, Aged 71"
'' The Daily News'', 25 January 1947. Clydesdale had married twice, to May Smith in 1902, with whom he had three children, and to Lilian Knights in 1942.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clydesdale, Alec 1875 births 1947 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia Horse racing venue owners Mayors of places in Western Australia Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council Politicians from Ballarat Australian Members of the Order of the British Empire Western Australian local councillors