Dr. C.G. (Colin) Clark, MA

After his studies at Oxford, Clark worked as a research assistant at the London School of Economics (1928-29) and the University of Liverpool (1929-30). He then briefly held a similar position at the National Economic Advisory Council, which he resigned, however, after being asked to write a memorandum on protectionism. One of the Council members, John Maynard Keynes, was nevertheless so impressed by his qualities that Clark was appointed lecturer in statistics (1931–1938) at Cambridge University. He wrote three books during this time, including in 1932 The National Income 1924–31. The manuscript was recommended by Keynes to publisher Macmillan as follows: "[...] Clark is, I think, a bit of a genius: almost the only economic statistician I've ever met who seems to me quite first-class."

A trip to Australia brought him into contact with Scottish-born Queensland Premier Forgan Smith, who asked him to become Government Statistician, Director of the Bureau of Industry, and Financial Advisor to Queensland Treasury. Clark wrote to Keynes that the chance to advise the Premier on "practically everything connected with economic matters too remarkable an opportunity was to be missed for putting economics into practice.”  He continued to publish—unusual in a position such as his own.

He was briefly associated with the FAO and the University of Chicago before becoming Director of the Institute for Agricultural Economics at Oxford University from 1952 to 1969. He then returned to Australia to become Director of the Institute of Economic Progress at Monash University (1969–78) and Research Consultant in the School of Economics at the University of Queensland, until his death in 1989.