John Allworth Clark (1846–1932) was

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia in 1891.

Personal life

John Allworth Clark was born in 1846 in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

.Brisbane City Council Archives After completing his education, he moved to

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 ...

where he married Elizabeth Ann Jane Mullarky in 1871. Born in 1843, she was three years older than him. She remembered the imperial troops in Sydney where she was born, and the first railway to Parramatta. The couple had the following children: * Adelaide Louise, married Perth 1905 to Wesley Castles, died Sydney 1949Western Australia Births, Deaths & Marriages * May Helen, born Sydney 1877, married Sydney 1910 to Walter Gibson, died Sydney 1966 * John Raymond (Ray), born Sydney 1875 died Sydney 1954New South Wales Register of Births, Deaths & Marriages * Stanley Richardson, born Sydney 1878, died Sydney 1964. About 1882 they moved to Brisbane and then many years later back to Sydney. John Allworth Clark died on Tuesday 14 June 1932 at his home, 233 Stanmore Road,

Stanmore Stanmore is part of the London Borough of Harrow in Greater London. It is centred northwest of Charing Cross, lies on the outskirts of the London urban area and includes Stanmore Hill, one of the List of highest points in London, highest point ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. He was cremated on Wed 15 June 1932 at Rookwood Crematorium. Eliza Clark had died at 86 years old in 1929.

Business life

John Allworth Clark was a wool importer and merchant tailor. Together with his father and brother, he owned menswear shops in Brisbane,

Toowoomba Toowoomba ( ), nicknamed 'The Garden City' and 'T-Bar', is a city on the border of South East Queensland and Darling Downs regions of Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital, Brisbane. The urban population of Toowoom ...

and

Public life

John Allworth Clark was an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

representing the North Ward of the Brisbane Municipal Council from 1889 to 1898. Eliza Clark was also active in public life as a suffragist and philanthropist. He was mayor in 1891. He served on the following committees: * Finance Committee 1889, 1892, 1894, 1896 * Health Committee 1889, 1891, 1893, 1895, 1897–1898 * Works Committee 1890, 1891, 1893, 1895, 1897, 1898 * Legislative Committee 1890, 1892, 1894, 1896 * Street Lighting Committee 1891, 1892 * Served on Parks Committee 1897, 1898 He was a long-time staunch supporter of the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting Temperance (virtue), temperance or total abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and ...

and a member of temperance organisations such as the Blue Ribbon Association. In 1887 he was appointed secretary of the Anti-Chinese League. Whilst mayor, Clark served as a line umpire in an

1891 Events January * January 1 ** A strike of 500 Hungarian steel workers occurs; 3,000 men are out of work as a consequence. **Germany takes formal possession of its new African territories. * January 4 – The Earl of Zetland issues a ...

intercolonial rugby union match between

and

. From 1892, he was an active promoter of Bowkett Societies, which were non-profit building societies that provided interest-free loans to their members. In 1893, the

Brisbane River The Brisbane River (Turrbal language, Turrbal: ) is the longest river in South East Queensland, Australia. It flows through the city of Brisbane, before emptying into Moreton Bay on the Coral Sea. John Oxley, the first European to explore the ...

had a major flood and Clark was chairman of the Flood Relief Committee, which collected and distributed financial aid to the flood victims. He was a founding member of the board of the

Victoria Bridge, Brisbane The Victoria Bridge is a bus and pedestrian bridge over the Brisbane River. The current bridge, opened in 1969, is the third permanent crossing erected at this location. Since 24 January 2021, the bridge has been closed to general traffic, and n ...

after its reconstruction in 1897. From 1893 to at least 1898 he was chairman of the Metropolitan Transit Commission. In 1894 Clark proposed that women should be allowed to serve as aldermen in the Brisbane Municipal Council. Later after the family had moved to Sydney, Clark was also an alderman of the Petersham Municipal Council in Sydney in 1914, 1920 & 1922 representing the South Kingston ward.

Memorials

Clark Lane (which runs between Queen Street and Anne Street in the Petrie Bight area of Brisbane) is named after John Allworth Clark. The lane was originally the northern end of Eagle Street, which commenced at Creek Street (as it still does today), ran along the river at Petrie Bight (now Queen Street) to the intersection with Adelaide Street and then north towards Ann Street (now Clark Lane). John Allworth Clark had one of his business premises on the intersection where Clark Lane converges with Adelaide and Queen Streets.

References

External links