'''Samuel Clemes''' (25 December 1845<ref name=adb>{{cite book|author=William N. Oats |title=Australian Dictionary of Biography: Clemes, Samuel (Sammy) (1845–1922) |publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University |url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/clemes-samuel-sammy-5683/text9603 |year=1981 |access-date=10 June 2025}}</ref> – 25 October 1922) was an English educationist who in 1887 established [[The Friends' School, Hobart]] for the [[Society of Friends]] (Quakers). In 1920 he established another, '''Leslie House School''' which, renamed '''Clemes College''', was operated by his son '''William Hall Clemes''' until 1945, after which the two schools were united.
==History== Clemes was born in [[Liskeard]], Cornwall, a son of Samuel Clemes and his wife Jane Clemes, née Willis. He was educated in England, mostly at [[Society of Friends|Friends]]' schools, such as [[Sidcot school|Sidcot]]. He trained as a teacher, later volunteering for the Friends' mission in [[Madagascar]]. After ten years he returned to teaching as principal of the [[Wigton School|Friends' School in Wigton]], England. In 1886 he was sent by the Society of Friends to Australia to establish a boys' school in Hobart, Tasmania, and was its first principal and science master.<ref name=obit/> In 1887 the school opened in Warwick Street, not far from Trinity Church.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article9128053 |title=Advertising |newspaper=[[The Mercury]] |volume=XLIX |issue=5,205 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=3 November 1886 |accessdate=10 June 2025 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> He also gave regular public lectures on technical and scientific subjects, which were popular. His wife taught taught French and German. In 1888 the School purchased the property "Hobartville", off Commercial Road, to which the school moved and became co-educational, renamed '''Friends' High School'''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article9205806 |title=Advertising |newspaper=[[The Mercury (Hobart)]] |volume=LIII |issue=5,913 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=1 February 1889 |accessdate=10 June 2025 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
The Clemes resigned from the Friends School in 1900 and founded Leslie House School at the corner of Pirie Street and Main Road, [[New Town, Tasmania|New Town]]. Sydney R. Dickinson married Margaret Clemes in 1907, became co-principal in 1910, left for New Zealand in 1915, became principal of [[Haileybury (Melbourne)|Haileybury]] 1923–1941; died 1 April 1949).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26491445 |title=Former College Teacher Dies |newspaper=[[The Mercury (Hobart)]] |volume=CLXIX |issue=24,436 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=5 April 1949 |accessdate=10 June 2025 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
Clemes died in 1922, still actively involved with the school,<ref name=obit>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23633998 |title=Obituary |newspaper=[[The Mercury (Hobart)]] |volume=CXVII |issue=17,181 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=26 October 1922 |accessdate=10 June 2025 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> which in 1923 was renamed Clemes College in his honour.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article66803139 |title=Advertising |newspaper=[[The Advocate (Tasmania)|The Advocate (Australia)]] |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=29 December 1923 |accessdate=10 June 2025 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> In 1945 The board of governors of Friends' School purchased Clemes College and announced that as from 1946 the two well-known Hobart schools would amalgamate.<ref name=amalgamation>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article91943557 |title=Schools to Amalgamate |newspaper=[[The Examiner (Tasmania)]] |volume=CIV |issue=144 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=27 August 1945 |accessdate=10 June 2025 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
==Family== Clemes married Susannah Hall sometime around 1871 before leaving as missionary teachers to Tananarive, Madagascar. She died shortly after their return to England in 1882. In 1884 he married again, to Susannah's sister Margaret Hall. Their family includes: *(Isabella) Mary Clemes (c. 1874 – 10 April 1934)<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article24925290 |title=Family Notices |newspaper=[[The Mercury (Hobart)]] |volume=CXL |issue=20,803 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=12 April 1934 |accessdate=10 June 2025 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> married Marcus Rufus Shoobridge<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article25923321 |title=Obituary Pioneer Member |newspaper=[[The Mercury (Hobart)]] |volume=CLV |issue=22,291 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=11 May 1942 |accessdate=10 June 2025 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> in April 1910. *Margaret Clemes married Sydney R. Dickinson in 1907 *William Hall Clemes (1877–1953) was born at [[Antananarivo]], Madagascar.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article24926092 |title=Samuel Clemes |newspaper=[[The Mercury (Hobart)]] |volume=CXL |issue=20,805 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=14 April 1934 |accessdate=1 February 2025 |page=11 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> He was educated at [[Brookfield School]], England, and Friends' School, Hobart. He succeeded his father as principal of Leslie House School, and retired at the end of 1945.<ref name=amalgamation/> *Alfred Willis Clemes (c. 1887 – ), Rhodes Scholar 1908. He captained Oxford in the first [[Australian rules football]] match against Cambridge in 1911, which Oxford won. He served with the Friends Ambulance Unit during WWI.
His sister, Isabella J. Clemes (c. 1848 – 24 January 1903)<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article12262204 |title=Family Notices |newspaper=[[The Mercury (Hobart)]] |volume=LXXIX |issue=10,256 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=26 January 1903 |accessdate=10 June 2025 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> was a lecturer in mathematics at Friends' School and Leslie House. She was earlier an employee of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.royalobservatorygreenwich.org/articles.php?article=1280 |title=Christie's Lady Computers – the astrographic pioneers of Greenwich |publisher=Royal Observatory, Greenwich |access-date=10 June 2025}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Clemes, William}} [[Category:1877 births]] [[Category:1952 deaths]] [[Category:Australian headmasters]] [[Category:History of Hobart]] [[Category:People from Liskeard]]
==Further reading== *[https://figshare.utas.edu.au/articles/thesis/The_Friends_School_Hobart_formation_and_early_development/23245007?file=40961714 The Friends School, Hobart: formation and early development] [[University of Tasmania]].