John Howard Clark
Encyclopedia
John Howard Clark was editor of The South Australian Register from 1870 to 1877 and was responsible for its Echoes from the Bush column and closely associated with its Geoffry Crabthorn persona.
, son of Francis Clark (1799 – 1853), a manufacturer of wire and nails, also born in Birmingham. Grandfather Thomas Clark ran a school for boys, then a factory.
His mother Caroline (1800 – 16 September 1877) was a daughter of mathematician Thomas Wright Hill
(24 April 1763 – 13 June 1851) founder of what became Hazelwood School in Birmingham under her brother Rowland Hill
(famous for inventing penny postage and important in South Australian history as the Secretary to the Commissioners for the Colonization of South Australia).
John was educated at Birmingham and Edgbaston Proprietary School
and King's College London
, where John Lorenzo Young (later to found the Adelaide Educational Institution) was a fellow student.
, but after a bout of serious illness, emigrated with his parents to Adelaide, South Australia, where he arrived on the Fatima in June 1850. After a short period of work as an assayer, he joined his father as accountant in the firm which, with the addition of A. Sidney Clark in 1853 became Francis Clark and Sons, hardware importers and shipping agents of Blyth Street. John Howard Clark became one of the colony's most sought-after accountants. (After the death of Francis Clark, the company's focus shifted towards real estate, insurance and finance, and in 1871, with the firm of Clark and Crompton, moved to offices in Grenfell Street. They branched out into stationary engines and other machinery around 1875, opening separate premises under Joseph Horwood
on Gresham Street and North Terrace, moving to Blyth Street in 1878. In 1886, with the departure of M Symonds Clark, it became Francis H Clark & Co. and closed a few years later.)
He was an adept writer and contributed to the Register (one of those who used the nom de plume "Pleeceman X"), and the Telegraph, an evening paper whose editor, Frederick Sinnett, was a close friend.
In October 1865 he purchased a share of the Register and Observer
from The Hon. Joseph Fisher
(1834 - 1907), the other proprietors being William Kyffin Thomas and Edward William Andrews. He also took Fisher's place as its commercial manager. He was appointed editor in 1870. (The proprietors at the time of his funeral were William Kyffin Thomas, C. Day, J. H. Finlayson and Robert Kyffin Thomas
.)
The seven years of his editorship marked a high point in the history of The Register. According to one commentator "... his well-balanced intellect, his judicially impartial mind, and great knowledge of men and things, stood bim in good stead. ... the paper has become a greater power in the state ... not merely for its independence of thought, but for its fearlessness in tho expression of its opinions, and its aim to be at all times fair and just. ... many of his articles upon education and financial questions were very powerful. ... (he was) an ardent disciple of Stuart Mill, and the abolition of not a few of the restrictions upon trade in the colony is in a measure due to his advocacy".
The one aspect of his incumbency for which he is best remembered is the weekly "Echoes from the Bush" column, conducted under the pseudonym "Geoffry Crabthorn" with its frequently powerful advocacy and pungent satire. "It is understood that he originated (this column). Whether he did or not I am not in a position to say but that he contributed to it some of the best productions of his mind I know full well. The "Echoes" have been read and appreciated in the other colonies - in fact, at this moment I have a letter from one of the ablest writers in Sydney, who says, what we here are prepared to endorse, that "Geoffry Crabthorn" at his best has no peer in Australia."
He was a supporter of the Adelaide Educational Institution and close friend of its founder, John L. Young.
He was an active member of the Unitarian Christian Church in Wakefield Street
, and prominent in the appointment in 1855 of its first full-time minister, the Rev. John Crawford Woods.
He helped found the Adelaide Philosophical Society, and was secretary from its formation in 1853 until 1862. His brother A. Sidney Clark later held that position.
He helped found the South Australian Institute, and was for many years one of its its Governors, resigning in 1873 because of ill-health.
In 1860 he joined the Volunteer Force and rose to the rank of Major in 1866. In 1869 he was obliged to decline further promotion because of ill-health. The South Australian Volunteer Force was a militia formed in 1855 for the defence of the colony of South Australia.
His seven brothers included Algernon Sidney Clark (1826 – 16 February 1908), Matthew Symonds Clark and Henry Septimus Clark (died February 1864). Two had died of tuberculosis before 1849. One was the father of Edward Vincent Clark.
His three sisters included (Caroline) Emily Clark (1824 – ca.20 November 1911) founder, with Catherine Helen Spence
, of the "Boarding-out Society", a scheme for finding homes for destitute children and Susan Mary Clark who on 8 May 1866 married Joseph Crompton (1842 – 1901), who with her brother Harry was prominent in the foundation of Stonyfell
winery.
He married Lucy Martin (ca.1840 – 3 May 1863) in the Unitarian Church in Wakefield Street on 15 October 1858. They lived in Hazelwood Cottage (named after the Birmingham school, and commemorated in the present-day suburb of Hazelwood Park
.) on Greenhill Road, Knightsbridge
.
Lucy gave birth to
His wife Lucy died 6 days after birth of daughter Lucy. He married again, to Agnes Macnee (ca.1843 – 13 June 1913) on 11 October 1865. She gave birth to
Early years
John was born in BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, son of Francis Clark (1799 – 1853), a manufacturer of wire and nails, also born in Birmingham. Grandfather Thomas Clark ran a school for boys, then a factory.
His mother Caroline (1800 – 16 September 1877) was a daughter of mathematician Thomas Wright Hill
Thomas Wright Hill
Thomas Wright Hill was a mathematician and schoolmaster. He is credited as inventing the single transferable vote in 1819...
(24 April 1763 – 13 June 1851) founder of what became Hazelwood School in Birmingham under her brother Rowland Hill
Rowland Hill (postal reformer)
Sir Rowland Hill KCB, FRS was an English teacher, inventor and social reformer. He campaigned for a comprehensive reform of the postal system, based on the concept of penny postage and his solution of prepayment, facilitating the safe, speedy and cheap transfer of letters...
(famous for inventing penny postage and important in South Australian history as the Secretary to the Commissioners for the Colonization of South Australia).
John was educated at Birmingham and Edgbaston Proprietary School
King Edward VI Five Ways
King Edward VI Five Ways is a selective, humanities specialist grammar school located in the Bartley Green area of south Birmingham, England. As of April 2008, the school has a second specialism, a specialist Science College.-Background:...
and King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
, where John Lorenzo Young (later to found the Adelaide Educational Institution) was a fellow student.
Career
He worked for a time at an iron smelter in DudleyDudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
, but after a bout of serious illness, emigrated with his parents to Adelaide, South Australia, where he arrived on the Fatima in June 1850. After a short period of work as an assayer, he joined his father as accountant in the firm which, with the addition of A. Sidney Clark in 1853 became Francis Clark and Sons, hardware importers and shipping agents of Blyth Street. John Howard Clark became one of the colony's most sought-after accountants. (After the death of Francis Clark, the company's focus shifted towards real estate, insurance and finance, and in 1871, with the firm of Clark and Crompton, moved to offices in Grenfell Street. They branched out into stationary engines and other machinery around 1875, opening separate premises under Joseph Horwood
Horwood Bagshaw Ltd.
Horwood Bagshaw Ltd. is an Australian agricultural machinery manufacturer and dealership chain whose origins date from the late 1800's.-Horwood and Sons:...
on Gresham Street and North Terrace, moving to Blyth Street in 1878. In 1886, with the departure of M Symonds Clark, it became Francis H Clark & Co. and closed a few years later.)
He was an adept writer and contributed to the Register (one of those who used the nom de plume "Pleeceman X"), and the Telegraph, an evening paper whose editor, Frederick Sinnett, was a close friend.
In October 1865 he purchased a share of the Register and Observer
South Australian Register
The Register, originally the South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register, was the first South Australian newspaper. It was first published in London in June 1836 and folded almost a century later in February 1931....
from The Hon. Joseph Fisher
Joseph Fisher (Australian politician)
Joseph Fisher was a South Australian politician and newspaper proprietor born in Brighouse, Yorkshire.-Early Days:...
(1834 - 1907), the other proprietors being William Kyffin Thomas and Edward William Andrews. He also took Fisher's place as its commercial manager. He was appointed editor in 1870. (The proprietors at the time of his funeral were William Kyffin Thomas, C. Day, J. H. Finlayson and Robert Kyffin Thomas
Robert Kyffin Thomas
Sir Robert Kyffin Thomas was a South Australian newspaper proprietor.Sir Robert was born at Nailsworth, South Australia, the son of William Kyffin Thomas, proprietor of The Register...
.)
The seven years of his editorship marked a high point in the history of The Register. According to one commentator "... his well-balanced intellect, his judicially impartial mind, and great knowledge of men and things, stood bim in good stead. ... the paper has become a greater power in the state ... not merely for its independence of thought, but for its fearlessness in tho expression of its opinions, and its aim to be at all times fair and just. ... many of his articles upon education and financial questions were very powerful. ... (he was) an ardent disciple of Stuart Mill, and the abolition of not a few of the restrictions upon trade in the colony is in a measure due to his advocacy".
The one aspect of his incumbency for which he is best remembered is the weekly "Echoes from the Bush" column, conducted under the pseudonym "Geoffry Crabthorn" with its frequently powerful advocacy and pungent satire. "It is understood that he originated (this column). Whether he did or not I am not in a position to say but that he contributed to it some of the best productions of his mind I know full well. The "Echoes" have been read and appreciated in the other colonies - in fact, at this moment I have a letter from one of the ablest writers in Sydney, who says, what we here are prepared to endorse, that "Geoffry Crabthorn" at his best has no peer in Australia."
Other Interests
He acted as landlord for his brother-in-law Rowland Hill, who owned two parcels of land later the site of by the Parkside Mental Hospital.He was a supporter of the Adelaide Educational Institution and close friend of its founder, John L. Young.
He was an active member of the Unitarian Christian Church in Wakefield Street
Wakefield Street, Adelaide
Wakefield Street is a main thoroughfare in the centre of the South Australian capital, Adelaide.It runs in east-west between East Terrace and Victoria Square, and is one of the three streets to run through Victoria Square in the middle of the Adelaide city centre. The same three streets are also...
, and prominent in the appointment in 1855 of its first full-time minister, the Rev. John Crawford Woods.
He helped found the Adelaide Philosophical Society, and was secretary from its formation in 1853 until 1862. His brother A. Sidney Clark later held that position.
He helped found the South Australian Institute, and was for many years one of its its Governors, resigning in 1873 because of ill-health.
In 1860 he joined the Volunteer Force and rose to the rank of Major in 1866. In 1869 he was obliged to decline further promotion because of ill-health. The South Australian Volunteer Force was a militia formed in 1855 for the defence of the colony of South Australia.
Family Life
Note: Most if not all of his children were given the middle name "Howard" and he was was himself generally referred to as though "Howard Clark" were his surname.His seven brothers included Algernon Sidney Clark (1826 – 16 February 1908), Matthew Symonds Clark and Henry Septimus Clark (died February 1864). Two had died of tuberculosis before 1849. One was the father of Edward Vincent Clark.
His three sisters included (Caroline) Emily Clark (1824 – ca.20 November 1911) founder, with Catherine Helen Spence
Catherine Helen Spence
Catherine Helen Spence was a Scottish-born Australian author, teacher, journalist, politician and leading suffragette. In 1897 she became Australia's first female political candidate after standing for the Federal Convention held in Adelaide...
, of the "Boarding-out Society", a scheme for finding homes for destitute children and Susan Mary Clark who on 8 May 1866 married Joseph Crompton (1842 – 1901), who with her brother Harry was prominent in the foundation of Stonyfell
Stonyfell, South Australia
Stonyfell is a prestigious suburb in the foothills of Adelaide in the City of Burnside. It has many parks with walking tracks, waterfalls and bike tracks. St Peter's Collegiate Girls' School is the only school in Stonyfell. The historic Stonyfell Winery is one of Australia's oldest. There is also a...
winery.
He married Lucy Martin (ca.1840 – 3 May 1863) in the Unitarian Church in Wakefield Street on 15 October 1858. They lived in Hazelwood Cottage (named after the Birmingham school, and commemorated in the present-day suburb of Hazelwood Park
Hazelwood Park, South Australia
Hazelwood Park is a suburb in the City of Burnside, Adelaide, South Australia with a census area population of 1,717 people. The suburb is about 5 kilometres east of the Central business district. Hazelwood Park, a suburban park inside the suburb, is the major attraction in the suburb. This...
.) on Greenhill Road, Knightsbridge
Hazelwood Park, South Australia
Hazelwood Park is a suburb in the City of Burnside, Adelaide, South Australia with a census area population of 1,717 people. The suburb is about 5 kilometres east of the Central business district. Hazelwood Park, a suburban park inside the suburb, is the major attraction in the suburb. This...
.
Lucy gave birth to
- eldest son, Francis Howard Clark (22 September 1859 – 17 June 1945), a prizewinning student at Adelaide Educational Institution 1871-1876. Married Edith Mary Smith 5 June 1890.
- daughter Ellen (30 July 1861 – 4 November 1936) married William George Auld, son of William Patrick Auld, on 12 August 1893.
- daughter Lucy (27 April 1863 – 30 January 1940) married G. Shirreff Bowyear on 12 June 1883.
His wife Lucy died 6 days after birth of daughter Lucy. He married again, to Agnes Macnee (ca.1843 – 13 June 1913) on 11 October 1865. She gave birth to
- daughter Marion Howard Clark (15 September 1866 – 1 May 1867)
- daughter Jessie Howard Clark (28 July 1868 – 11 August 1942) married Alfred Barham Black on 24 January 1891
- son Arthur Howard Clark (20 December 1869 – 11 June 1947) married Lilly Beviss Cossins on 30 October 1895. He was a manager of the Allandale silver mine at Broken HillBroken Hill, New South Wales-Geology:Broken Hill's massive orebody, which formed about 1,800 million years ago, has proved to be among the world's largest silver-lead-zinc mineral deposits. The orebody is shaped like a boomerang plunging into the earth at its ends and outcropping in the centre. The protruding tip of the...
- daughter Alice (19 July 1871 – 28 April 1874 aged 2 years)
- daughter Rose (14 June 1873 – 7 May 1943) never married
- daughter Florence (10 March 1875 – 15 November 1952) never married