Rhodesia (region) was first used to refer to the region by white settlers in the 1890s who informally named their new home after Cecil Rhodes, the Company's founder and managing director. It was used in newspapers from 1891 and was made official by the Company in 1895. To confuse matters, Southern Rhodesia, which became a self-governing colony of the United Kingdom in 1923, referred to itself simply as "Rhodesia" from 1964 to 1979, and in 1965 unilaterally declared independence under that name. It thereafter briefly renamed itself "Zimbabwe Rhodesia" in 1979. The usage of the term Rhodesia to refer to the historical
John Clarke (Michigan politician) named Emeline. He was a Freemason and a Knight Templar, and petitioned for the creation of a commandery in St. Clair, Michigan, which thereafter was named the "John Clark Commandery". Clarke died on February 3, 1876, and is buried in Rosehill Cemetery in St. Clair. John Clarke (Michigan politician) John Clarke (July 29, 1797 – February 3, 1876), also spelled Clark, was an American businessman, farmer, and politician. He served in the Michigan Senate in the early years of Michigan's statehood, and later in the Michigan House of Representatives. John Clarke was born in Bath, Maine, on July 29, 1797.