James Arthur Clough (13 July 1916 – 20 May 2003) was an Australian politician. He was the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

member for

Parramatta Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...

in the

New South Wales Legislative Assembly The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House ...

from 1956 to 1959, and for Eastwood from 1965 to 1988. Clough was born in

Warialda Warialda is a town in the North West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia, in Gwydir Shire. It is situated on the banks of Warialda Creek. At the , Warialda had a population of 1,120. Transport The Gwydir Highway runs through town and ...

, the son of Ralph and Margaret Jane (née O'Farrell) Clough. He was educated at Warialda Convent, and later at St Patrick's Marist Brothers,

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

. He became an accountant, although he also worked as a station hand and

sheep shearer A sheep shearer is a worker who uses (hand-powered)-blade or machine shears to remove wool from domestic sheep during crutching or shearing. History During the early years of sheep breeding in Australia, shearing was carried out by shepherds, as ...

. In 1939 he enlisted in the

AIF AIF, A.I.F., AiF or aif may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Argumenty i Fakty'' (AiF), a Russian newspaper * Australians in Film (AiF), a Los Angeles-based organisation for the promotion of Australian actors and filmmakers * Aspen Ideas ...

, serving until 1942 when he was medically discharged. He married railway employee Patricia McNamara on 16 February 1945, with whom he would have eight children. He was commissioned as a Justice of the Peace in 1946, in which year he also became a member of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

's State Council. He was the Liberal candidate for the safe

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

seat of

Reid Reid is a surname of Scotland, Scottish origin. It means "red". People with the surname * Alec Cunningham-Reid (1895–1977), British politician * Alan Reid (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Reid (disambiguation), multiple people * Alexan ...

in the

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2025 * January 2 – Luis ...

and 1951 federal elections. In 1956, Clough was preselected as the Liberal candidate for the state seat of

, held by

MP Kevin Morgan. Clough defeated Morgan, but after a redistribution in 1959 the seat was given a Labor majority and Clough did not contest the election. He was instead elected to Baulkham Hills Council, but re-entered state politics in 1965 following the retirement of Eastwood Liberal MP Eric Hearnshaw, and was Minister for Youth, Ethnic and Community Affairs for four months in 1976. He held the seat until 1988, when he was defeated for preselection by

Andrew Tink Andrew Arnold Tink AM (born 13 July 1953) is a former Australian politician, having served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for the Liberal Party from 1988 to 2007. He was in the shadow cabinet from 1995 until March 2006 ...

and retired. Clough was made a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

(AM) at the

1989 Australia Day Honours The 1989 Australia Day Honours are appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 1989 by the Governor General of Australia, Sir Ninian Stephen. The Aust ...

for "service to the NSW Parliament and to the community".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clough, Jim 1916 births 2003 deaths Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of New South Wales Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly Australian people of Irish descent Place of death missing 20th-century Australian politicians Members of the Order of Australia Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian Army soldiers Ministers for families and communities