John Etter Clark
Encyclopedia
John Etter Clark was a provincial politician, teacher and farmer from Alberta
, Canada
. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
from 1952 until his death in 1956. Clark committed one of the worst mass murders in Alberta history before taking his own life.
, Canada
in 1915. He became a part time school teacher and a farmer. Clark inherited the farm founded by his father and farmed a total of 1000 acres (4 km²) of land. He married his wife Margaret Dinwoodie in 1947 and had four children with her.
as a Social Credit candidate in the electoral district of Stettler. The four race was hotly contested with Clark winning on the second vote count to hold the district for his party.
Clark ran for a second term in the 1955 Alberta general election
. He won a sizable majority defeating two other candidates to hold his seat.
, Alberta
had stopped over for a social visit. Parrott happened upon a grisly mass murder scene finding seven people who were shot at least once through the head with one victim being shot multiple times. Six of the victims were already deceased with a seventh barely clinging to life when Parrott arrived. The seventh victim was taken to a local hospital but died shortly after. The victims had been shot with .22 caliber bullets.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
descended on scene with 14 special field agents. Clark was not among the dead, and had fled the scene. A mass search began to locate his whereabouts. The dead included his wife Margaret Clark, his son and three daughters a hired farm hand and a visitor to the farm. The murder weapon was a single shot .22 caliber rifle that Clark had borrowed from his uncle. He was supposed to have traveled to Saskatchewan
on June 1, 1956 to help manage the Social Credit
campaign in the 1956 Saskatchewan general election
, but failed to show without any explanation.
Police found the body of Clark lying just on the edge of a dugout approximately 600 yards from the farmhouse where the murders took place. He had a single self inflicted bullet hole through the head and was found with murder weapon lying at his feet. Clark was found adorned in night attire as if he had been preparing to go to bed. The search was conducted by 32 RCMP Officers who traveled the range on horseback with a team of tracking dogs. A separate aerial search was conducted by team of three mounties on a Royal Canadian Air Force
Otter
. The mounties spotted the body of Clark from the air a few hours after the search began.
Clark had been suffering from frequent nervous breakdowns in recent years. He was hospitalized for a month and a half in 1954 after one such breakdown. He also had one during the spring session of the legislature in 1956. At the time of the mass murder, it was considered the worst such event in Alberta's history.
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton...
from 1952 until his death in 1956. Clark committed one of the worst mass murders in Alberta history before taking his own life.
Early life
John Etter Clark was born in AlbertaAlberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1915. He became a part time school teacher and a farmer. Clark inherited the farm founded by his father and farmed a total of 1000 acres (4 km²) of land. He married his wife Margaret Dinwoodie in 1947 and had four children with her.
Political career
Clark ran for a seat to the Alberta Legislature in the 1952 Alberta general electionAlberta general election, 1952
The Alberta general election of 1952 was the twelfth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on August 5, 1952 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.Ernest C...
as a Social Credit candidate in the electoral district of Stettler. The four race was hotly contested with Clark winning on the second vote count to hold the district for his party.
Clark ran for a second term in the 1955 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 1955
The Alberta general election of 1955 was the thirteenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on June 29, 1955 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
. He won a sizable majority defeating two other candidates to hold his seat.
Murders and suicide
On June 3, 1956 Pete Parrott a neighbor residing on a farm leased from Clark next to his farm in ErskineErskine, Alberta
Erskine is a hamlet in Alberta, Canada within the County of Stettler No. 6. It is located approximately west of Stettler, south of Rochon Sands and east of Red Deer...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
had stopped over for a social visit. Parrott happened upon a grisly mass murder scene finding seven people who were shot at least once through the head with one victim being shot multiple times. Six of the victims were already deceased with a seventh barely clinging to life when Parrott arrived. The seventh victim was taken to a local hospital but died shortly after. The victims had been shot with .22 caliber bullets.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
descended on scene with 14 special field agents. Clark was not among the dead, and had fled the scene. A mass search began to locate his whereabouts. The dead included his wife Margaret Clark, his son and three daughters a hired farm hand and a visitor to the farm. The murder weapon was a single shot .22 caliber rifle that Clark had borrowed from his uncle. He was supposed to have traveled to Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
on June 1, 1956 to help manage the Social Credit
Social Credit Party of Saskatchewan
The Social Credit Party of Saskatchewan was a political party in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan that promoted social credit economic theories from the mid-1930s to the mid-1970s....
campaign in the 1956 Saskatchewan general election
Saskatchewan general election, 1956
The Saskatchewan general election of 1956 was the thirteenth provincial election held in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It was held on June 20, 1956, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.-The campaign:...
, but failed to show without any explanation.
Police found the body of Clark lying just on the edge of a dugout approximately 600 yards from the farmhouse where the murders took place. He had a single self inflicted bullet hole through the head and was found with murder weapon lying at his feet. Clark was found adorned in night attire as if he had been preparing to go to bed. The search was conducted by 32 RCMP Officers who traveled the range on horseback with a team of tracking dogs. A separate aerial search was conducted by team of three mounties on a Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
Otter
De Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter
The de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter is a single-engined, high-wing, propeller-driven, STOL aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada. It was conceived to be capable of performing the same roles as the earlier and highly successful Beaver, but was overall a larger aircraft.-Design and...
. The mounties spotted the body of Clark from the air a few hours after the search began.
Clark had been suffering from frequent nervous breakdowns in recent years. He was hospitalized for a month and a half in 1954 after one such breakdown. He also had one during the spring session of the legislature in 1956. At the time of the mass murder, it was considered the worst such event in Alberta's history.