The members of the Australian Parliament assembled for the first time in Melbourne on 9 May 1901. One hundred and eleven members, comprising 36 senators and 75 members of the House of Representatives, had been elected in polls held in all states on the 29th or 30th March.
111 First Australian Parliament Geocache series. BYO PEN
Francis Clarke was born in Stroud, New South Wales and educated at St Stanislaus College, Bathurst. Clarke, a surveyor, had a lengthy career in the New South Wales Parliament prior to becoming involved in federal politics. He was the Member for Macleay (1893-94) and Hastings and Macleay (1894-98) in the Legislative Assembly and was a member of the Legislative Council 1899-1900.
In 1901 Clarke was elected as a Protectionist to represent the federal seat of Cowper in the House of Representatives at the first federal election. He was defeated at the election of 1903. After his parliamentary service, Clarke was a member of the Royal Commission on Customs and Tariff 1904-07 and in 1913 was a member of the Northern Territory Commission.