James Arthur Clough AM (13 July 1916 – 20 May 2003) was an Australian politician. He was the Liberal member for Parramatta in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1956 to 1959, and for Eastwood from 1965 to 1988.
Clough was born in Warialda, 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. He became an accountant, although he also worked as a station hand and sheep shearer. In 1939 he enlisted in the AIF, 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's State Council. He was the Liberal candidate for the safe Labor seat of Reid in the 1949 and 1951 federal elections.
In 1956, Clough was preselected as the Liberal candidate for the state seat of Parramatta, held by Labor 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 and retired.
Clough was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) at the 1989 Australia Day Honours for "service to the NSW Parliament and to the community".
References
- "Mr James Arthur Clough". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
- Green, Antony. "Elections for Parramatta". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- Green, Antony. "Elections for Eastwood". New South Wales Election Results 1856-2007. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- "CLOUGH, James Arthur". honours.pmc.gov.au. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
| New South Wales Legislative Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byKevin Morgan | Member for Parramatta 1956–1959 |
Succeeded byDan Mahoney |
| Preceded byEric Hearnshaw | Member for Eastwood 1965–1988 |
Succeeded byAndrew Tink |
- 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
- 20th-century Australian politicians
- Members of the Order of Australia
- Australian Army personnel of World War II
- Australian Army soldiers