John S. Clark, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

John S. Clark

Scottish-born Australian entomologist and myrmecologist

Date of Birth: 21-Mar-1885

Place of Birth: Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom

Date of Death: 01-Jun-1956

Profession: entomologist, myrmecologist

Nationality: United Kingdom

Zodiac Sign: Aries

John S.
Clark (21 March 1885 – 1 June 1956) was a Scottish-born Australian entomologist and myrmecologist known for his study of Australian ants.
Born in Glasgow, he developed an interest in entomology at a young age.
Clark first arrived in Australia in 1905 and originally worked for the state railways in Queensland.
He developed an interest in ants shortly afterwards, collecting his first specimens in North Queensland.
He married his first wife, Maggie Forbes in 1908, bearing four children, until her death in 1935.
He married his second wife, Phyllis Marjorie Claringbulls in 1939 and had two daughters with her until she committed suicide in 1943.
As a result, Clark sent his daughters to an orphanage. In 1919, Clark worked as the assistant to the entomologist on probation in the Western Australian Department of Agriculture, but in 1920, he took on this position full-time.
He started to publish his first articles about pest insects and ants from 1921; in 1926 he became an entomologist at the National Museum in Melbourne, remaining there for 20 years.
Clark continued to publish more articles until he resigned from the National Museum of Victoria in 1944.
Living in poverty, Clark lived a reclusive life, publishing his last book in 1951.
He died on 1 June 1956 at the age of 71, survived by his six children.
One of Clark's most notable achievements was describing Nothomyrmecia macrops, the most primitive living ant.
Several ants have been named after him in recognition of his contributions.