Clarke was born in Christchurch on 23 February 1938, the son of Hazel Clarke (née Shoesmith) and Vernon Hipkins Clarke.[1] He was educated at Avondale College, Auckland.[1] His younger brother, Phil, also played for the All Blacks.[2]
in 1962, Clarke married Pauline Innes McDonald, and the couple went on to have four children.[1]
Afirstorsecond five-eighth, Clarke represented Auckland at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, from 1958 to 1960. He played 14 matches for the All Blacks including three internationals.[2]
At the 1969 general election, Clarke was the National Party's candidate in the newly formed Henderson electorate.[1] However, he lost to the Labour candidate, Martyn Finlay, by almost 3300 votes.[3]
Clarke worked as an insurance agent, and later was proprietor of Waipapakauri Hotel in the Northland settlement of Awanui.[1] He also was the owner of a commercial crayfish boat, and was active in Rotary.[1]
^ abcdefTaylor, Alister, ed. (2001). "New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa 2001". New Zealand Who's Who, Aotearoa. Auckland: Alister Taylor Publishers. ISSN1172-9813.
^ abKnight, Lindsay. "Adrian Clarke". New Zealand Rugby Union. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
^Norton, Clifford (1988). New Zealand Parliamentary Election Results 1946–1987: Occasional Publications No 1, Department of Political Science. Victoria University of Wellington. p. 243. ISBN0-475-11200-8.
