Percy Clarey
| Percy Clarey | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Bendigo |
|
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In office 10 December 1949 – 17 May 1960 |
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| Preceded by | George Rankin |
| Succeeded by | Noel Beaton |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
20 January 1890 Bairnsdale, Victoria |
| Died | 17 May 1960 (aged 70) Oakleigh, Victoria |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Political party | Australian Labor Party |
| Spouse(s) | 1) Katherine Mary Isabel Chambers 2) Florence Midiam Cater |
| Relations | Arthur Clarey (brother) |
| Occupation | Unionist |
Percy James Clarey (20 January 1890 – 17 May 1960) was an Australian trade union leader and politician.
Clarey was born at Bairnsdale, Victoria, the fifth child of general agent Francis William Clarey and Jessie Littlejohn Clarey, née Lawson. The family soon moved to Melbourne, and Percy attended South Yarra State School and the Working Men's College. In his youth, Clarey was crippled by rheumatoid arthritis, and walked with crutches for the rest of his life. Employed as a clerk, he was Victorian president of the Federated Clerks' Union by the time he was 24 and federal president at 27. He also served as federal president of both the Amalgamated Food Preserving Employees' Union of Australia and the Federated Storemen and Packers' Union of Australia.
Clarey married schoolteacher Katherine Mary Isabel Chambers at Box Hill, Victoria on 31 March 1917. They had two sons before their divorce in 1936. Katherine was also prominent in the labour movement, and was the Labor candidate for the Victorian Legislative Assembly seat of Caulfield in 1935, although she withdrew shortly before the poll.
Meanwhile, Clarey continued to rise in the union movement, being president of the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party in 1934 and president of the Melbourne Trades Hall Council in 1935. During World War II, he was on the board of the Department of Munitions and the Manpower Priorities Board, as well as being a delegate to the 1944 International Labour Conference.
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