George Clarke

George Clarke
George Clarke (1661-1736) (Studio of Godfrey Kneller)
Secretary at War
In office 1690–1704
Monarch	William III
Preceded by	William Blathwayt
Succeeded by	Henry St John

George Clarke (7 May 1661 – 22 October 1736), was an English architect and Tory politician.

The son of Sir William Clarke, he enrolled at Brasenose College, Oxford in 1676. He was elected a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford in 1680. He became Judge Advocate to the Army and was Secretary at War in Ireland from 1690 to 1692 and in England from 1693 to 1704 under William III of England and Queen Anne. He served as secretary to Prince George of Denmark, Queen Anne's consort and the Lord High Admiral and Generalissimo of England.

He was successively Member of Parliament for Winchelsea from 1702 to 1705, coinciding with his office as Joint Secretary of the Admiralty, East Looe from 1705 to 1708, and Launceston from 1711 to 1713. Over the latter period he was Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty from 20 December 1710 until 14 October 1714, when he was dismissed following the accession of George I. He returned to the House of Commons, in a by-election, as MP for Oxford University in 1717, serving until his death, although at the time of his last election in 1734 he had lost his left eye and was losing sight in the other.

He was also an amateur architect. His known work is largely confined to Oxford, he is known to have worked with Nicholas Hawksmoor.