Joseph Clarke
Encyclopedia
Joseph Andrew Clarke was a Canadian
politician and lawyer. He served twice as mayor of Edmonton, Alberta, was a candidate for election to the Canadian House of Commons
and the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
, and was a member of the Yukon Territorial Council (precursor to the Yukon Legislative Assembly
).
. He was educated in Prescott
and Brockville, Ontario
, and joined the North West Mounted Police in 1892 in Regina, Saskatchewan
. He returned to Ontario shortly thereafter, only to be charged by the RNWMP with desertion
. He was fined one hundred dollars, but received no further sanction in part because the magistrate was his uncle.
After his brief policing career, Clarke studied law at Osgoode Hall
at York University
in Toronto
. Upon graduating, he moved to the Yukon
to take part in the Klondike gold rush
. While there, he was admitted to the bar and spent two years (1903-1904) as an appointed member of the Yukon Territorial Council.
He moved to Edmonton to practice law in 1908. Once there, he married Gwendolen Asbury on October 9, 1911; the pair would have three children.
Clarke's first attempt at municipal office took place during the February 1912 election
, when he ran for the position of alderman on Edmonton City Council
. He was elected to a one year term. Rather than seek re-election in the next election
, he ran for mayor, finishing in last place in a three candidate field.
He returned to city council after being elected to a two year term as an alderman in the 1913 election
. During this council term, he forged a temporary alliance with mayor William McNamara against those who wanted to drive prostitution and gambling out of the city. The alliance disintegrated after the two came to blows in a council meeting. Clarke lost his re-election, bid, finishing eighth of fourteen candidates in the 1915 election
. Unsuccessful bids for mayor followed in 1916
and 1917
before he was elected to that office in the 1918
.
During his first term as mayor, Clarke was confronted with a city-wide strike in support of the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919
. Clarke was sympathetic to the strikers, and when the federal government
's Royal Commission on Industrial Relations (the Mather Commission) stopped in Edmonton, he joined labour leaders in presenting a list of twenty-nine demands, including the right to collective bargaining, the eight hour day, price controls, and workers' rights to run and hold public office. He also resisted the use of strikebreakers (despite strong advocacy from the Edmonton Board of Trade and alderman Charles Grant), for which he was accused by the Edmonton Journal
and Edmonton Bulletin
of succumbing to the "Soviet power" of the Edmonton Trade & Labour Council (ET&LC). Instead, he and alderman J. A. Kinney
negotiated with the ET&LC's strike committee (which included future city mayors Elmer Ernest Roper
and Daniel Kennedy Knott
and future alderman Alfred Farmilo) to allow the continued provision of certain services.
Clarke was re-elected mayor in the 1919 election
, but a concerted effort by the Board of Trade and the two local papers saw him defeated by David Duggan in the 1920 election
. His attempt to regain his old job in the 1922 election
failed, as he finished second of six candidates. He was elected again as an alderman in the 1924 election
for a two year term, but resigned one year in in order to run for mayor in the 1925 election
. He finished third of six candidates.
There followed a decade in the political wilderness, marked by unsuccessful runs for mayor (in 1926
, 1927
, 1932
, and 1933
) and alderman (in 1928
, 1929
, 1930
, and 1931
), before he was returned to the office of mayor in the 1934 election
. While he had lost the office fourteen years earlier for being too friendly to organized labour, his opponents in 1934 included Knott and labour alderman Rice Sheppard
. He was re-elected in 1935
and 1936
(defeating future mayor and labour advocate Harry Dean Ainlay
on this second occasion). It was during this term that he laid the groundwork for a football stadium on the site of a closed federal prison. This stadium would eventually be named Clarke Stadium
in his honour.
Joseph Clarke was defeated in the 1937 election
by John Wesley Fry
. He ran in every municipal election until the end of his life (for mayor in 1938
and for alderman in 1939
and 1940
) but would never again hold political office.
, running provincially five times.
He first ran in the 1913 Alberta general election
as a parachute candidate in the controversial Clearwater
electoral district for Charles M. O'Brien's Socialist Party of Alberta
. He was defeated by Liberal
Henry William McKenney
, the incumbent M.L.A.
for Pembina
.
Clarke next ran in the 1917 election
as an independent in Edmonton East
. He finished third of four candidates - the only candidate he defeated was Andera Keil, of Clarke's old Socialist Party.
He ran again in the 1926 Alberta general election
as an independent Liberal
in Edmonton
district. He finished fourth of eighteen candidates on the first count, which would have been sufficient to win one of the riding's five seats under a plurality voting system
; however, the riding used a single transferable vote
system that allowed other candidates to pass him on subsequent counts. One of the candidates to do so was David Duggan
, the same man who had defeated Clarke in his mayoral re-election bid in 1920.
Clarke's fourth attempt at provincial office took place during the 1930 election
, when he sought election in Edmonton
as an independent. He finished sixteenth of seventeen candidates.
Clarke's final provincial election was a 1937 by-election in Edmonton
caused by the death of incumbent Liberal
G.H. Van Allen. Clarke ran as a "People's Candidate" and was backed by the new Alberta Social Credit Party government, which did not field a candidate. He finished second, as Liberal leader Edward Leslie Gray
retained the seat for his party, which was backed by the Conservatives under the so-called "Unity Movement". Clarke was mayor of Edmonton at the time of this by-election.
candidate in the a 1902 by-election in the Yukon
electoral district. He was defeated by James Hamilton Ross
. He made his second bid while still living in the Yukon in the 1908 federal election
and was once again defeated, this time by Frederick Congdon
.
Clarke did not make another run for federal office until 13 years later, when he ran in Edmonton East
for the Liberal Party of Canada
in the 1921 federal election
(he was a personal friend of then-Liberal leader and soon to be Prime Minister
William Lyon Mackenzie King
). He finished second to Progressive
candidate Donald Ferdinand Kellner
. His final run for federal office was in Peace River
again running for the Liberal Party of Canada
in the 1926 Canadian federal election
. He was defeated by Donald MacBeth Kennedy
finishing third in a field of three candidates.
, football
, and track and field
. He was also known for his penchant for violence, and was nicknamed "Fightin' Joe" as a result. He was implicated in a number of prostitution and gambling rings as well.
Joseph Andrew Clarke died in his sleep July 26, 1941, less than a year after contesting his last election. Clarke Stadium
and Joe Clarke Athletic Grounds were named in his honour. His wife, Gwendolen, would become a municipal politician and serve as an alderman on the Edmonton City Council
from 1942 to 1943 in Edmonton after his death.
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...
politician and lawyer. He served twice as mayor of Edmonton, Alberta, was a candidate for election to the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
and 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...
, and was a member of the Yukon Territorial Council (precursor to the Yukon Legislative Assembly
Yukon Legislative Assembly
-History:From 1900 to 1978, the elected legislative body in the Yukon was the Yukon Territorial Council, a ten-member body which did not act as the primary government, but was a non-partisan advisory body to the Commissioner of the Yukon...
).
Early life
Clarke was born in Osnabruck Center, OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. He was educated in Prescott
Prescott, Ontario
Prescott is a town of approximately 4,180 people on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Leeds and Grenville United Counties, Ontario, Canada. The Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge, 5 km east of Prescott in Johnstown, connects it with Ogdensburg, New York...
and Brockville, Ontario
Brockville, Ontario
Brockville is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada, in the Thousand Islands region. Though it serves as the seat of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, Brockville is politically independent and is grouped with Leeds and Grenville for census purposes only.Known as the "City of the 1000...
, and joined the North West Mounted Police in 1892 in Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
. He returned to Ontario shortly thereafter, only to be charged by the RNWMP with desertion
Desertion
In military terminology, desertion is the abandonment of a "duty" or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning...
. He was fined one hundred dollars, but received no further sanction in part because the magistrate was his uncle.
After his brief policing career, Clarke studied law at Osgoode Hall
Osgoode Hall
Osgoode Hall is a landmark building in downtown Toronto constructed between 1829 and 1832 in the late Georgian Palladian and Neoclassical styles. It houses the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Divisional Court of the Superior Court of Justice, and the Law Society of Upper Canada...
at York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. Upon graduating, he moved to the Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
to take part in the Klondike gold rush
Klondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...
. While there, he was admitted to the bar and spent two years (1903-1904) as an appointed member of the Yukon Territorial Council.
He moved to Edmonton to practice law in 1908. Once there, he married Gwendolen Asbury on October 9, 1911; the pair would have three children.
Edmonton politics
Joseph Clarke ran in a total of twenty-seven Edmonton municipal elections, more than any person before or since (as municipal elections in Edmonton now occur only every three years, this record is unlikely ever to be broken). In all, he ran for mayor seventeen times (winning five such elections) and for alderman ten times (being elected three times).Clarke's first attempt at municipal office took place during the February 1912 election
Edmonton municipal election, February 1912
On September 27, 1911, the voters of Edmonton approved by plebiscite the amalgamation of Edmonton with Strathcona. This amalgamation was effected February 1, 1912, and, in anticipation of this, no election was held December 11, 1911 as would normally have been required...
, when he ran for the position of alderman on Edmonton City Council
Edmonton City Council
The Edmonton City Council is the governing body of the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.Members represent wards throughout the city, and are known as councillors. Until 2010, Edmonton was divided in six wards with two councillors representing citizens in each ward...
. He was elected to a one year term. Rather than seek re-election in the next election
Edmonton municipal election, December 1912
The second of two 1912 municipal elections was held December 9, 1912 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and three trustees to sit on each of the public and separate school boards....
, he ran for mayor, finishing in last place in a three candidate field.
He returned to city council after being elected to a two year term as an alderman in the 1913 election
Edmonton municipal election, 1913
The 1913 municipal election was held December 8, 1913 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council, trustees to sit on the public school board, and four trustees to sit on the separate school board....
. During this council term, he forged a temporary alliance with mayor William McNamara against those who wanted to drive prostitution and gambling out of the city. The alliance disintegrated after the two came to blows in a council meeting. Clarke lost his re-election, bid, finishing eighth of fourteen candidates in the 1915 election
Edmonton municipal election, 1915
The 1915 municipal election was held December 13, 1915 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on each of the public and separate school boards....
. Unsuccessful bids for mayor followed in 1916
Edmonton municipal election, 1916
The 1916 municipal election was held December 11, 1916 to elect a mayor and six aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council, three trustees to sit on the public school board, and four trustees to sit on the separate school board....
and 1917
Edmonton municipal election, 1917
The 1917 municipal election was held December 10, 1917, to elect a mayor and seven aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on each of the public and separate school boards...
before he was elected to that office in the 1918
Edmonton municipal election, 1918
The 1918 municipal election was held December 9, 1918 to elect a mayor and six aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council, three trustees to sit on the public school board, and four trustees to sit on the separate school board....
.
During his first term as mayor, Clarke was confronted with a city-wide strike in support of the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919
Winnipeg General Strike of 1919
The Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 was one of the most influential strikes in Canadian history, and became the platform for future labour reforms....
. Clarke was sympathetic to the strikers, and when the federal government
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
's Royal Commission on Industrial Relations (the Mather Commission) stopped in Edmonton, he joined labour leaders in presenting a list of twenty-nine demands, including the right to collective bargaining, the eight hour day, price controls, and workers' rights to run and hold public office. He also resisted the use of strikebreakers (despite strong advocacy from the Edmonton Board of Trade and alderman Charles Grant), for which he was accused by the Edmonton Journal
Edmonton Journal
The Edmonton Journal is a daily newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta. It is part of the Postmedia Network.-History:The Journal was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunningham — as a rival to Alberta's first newspaper, the 23-year-old...
and Edmonton Bulletin
Edmonton Bulletin
The Edmonton Bulletin was a newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta published from 1880 until January 20, 1951. It was founded by Frank Oliver, a politician and future minister in the Canadian Government....
of succumbing to the "Soviet power" of the Edmonton Trade & Labour Council (ET&LC). Instead, he and alderman J. A. Kinney
James Kinney
James Andrew Kinney was a politician in Alberta, Canada and the first Labour member of the Edmonton City Council.Kinney was born in Ontario in 1869...
negotiated with the ET&LC's strike committee (which included future city mayors Elmer Ernest Roper
Elmer Ernest Roper
Elmer Ernest Roper was a politician in Alberta, Canada. He served as leader of the Alberta Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, the mayor of Edmonton, and a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. He was also a candidate for the Canadian House of Commons.-Early life:Roper was born in...
and Daniel Kennedy Knott
Daniel Kennedy Knott
Daniel Kennedy Knott was a labour activist and politician in Alberta, Canada and a mayor of Edmonton.-Early life:Dan Knott was born in Collingwood, Ontario on July 1, 1879 to Hugh Knott and Margaret Wright...
and future alderman Alfred Farmilo) to allow the continued provision of certain services.
Edmonton municipal election, 1919
The 1919 municipal election was held December 8, 1919 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on the public school board. T P Malone, Paul Janvrin, T S Magee, and Joseph Henri Picard were acclaimed to two year terms on the separate school board...
, but a concerted effort by the Board of Trade and the two local papers saw him defeated by David Duggan in the 1920 election
Edmonton municipal election, 1920
The 1920 municipal election was held December 13, 1920 to elect a mayor and six aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and three trustees to sit on the public school board. J Cormack, Joseph Gariépy, and J J Murray were acclaimed to two year terms on the separate school board...
. His attempt to regain his old job in the 1922 election
Edmonton municipal election, 1922
The 1922 municipal election was held December 11, 1922 to elect a mayor and six aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and three trustees to sit on the public school board...
failed, as he finished second of six candidates. He was elected again as an alderman in the 1924 election
Edmonton municipal election, 1924
The 1924 municipal election was held December 8, 1924 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and three trustees to sit on each of the public and separate school boards....
for a two year term, but resigned one year in in order to run for mayor in the 1925 election
Edmonton municipal election, 1925
The 1925 municipal election was held December 14, 1925 to elect a mayor and seven aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on each of the public and separate school boards...
. He finished third of six candidates.
There followed a decade in the political wilderness, marked by unsuccessful runs for mayor (in 1926
Edmonton municipal election, 1926
The 1926 municipal election was held December 13, 1926 to elect a mayor and six aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and three trustees to sit on the public school board...
, 1927
Edmonton municipal election, 1927
The 1927 municipal election was held December 12, 1927 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on each of the public and separate school boards...
, 1932
Edmonton municipal election, 1932
The 1932 municipal election was held November 9, 1932 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and three trustees to sit on the public school board ....
, and 1933
Edmonton municipal election, 1933
The 1933 Edmonton municipal election was held November 8, 1933 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on City Council and four trustees to sit on each of the public and separate school boards....
) and alderman (in 1928
Edmonton municipal election, 1928
The 1928 municipal election was held December 10, 1928 to elect a mayor and six aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and three trustees to sit on the public school board...
, 1929
Edmonton municipal election, 1929
The 1929 municipal election was held December 9, 1929 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on the public school board...
, 1930
Edmonton municipal election, 1930
The 1930 municipal election was held November 12, 1930 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on the public school board ....
, and 1931
Edmonton municipal election, 1931
The 1931 municipal election was held November 11, 1931 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on the public school board .There were ten aldermen on city council, but five of the positions were already filled: James Collisson, Charles Gibbs,...
), before he was returned to the office of mayor in the 1934 election
Edmonton municipal election, 1934
The 1934 municipal election was held November 14, 1934 to elect a mayor and six aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and three trustees to sit on each of the public and separate school boards....
. While he had lost the office fourteen years earlier for being too friendly to organized labour, his opponents in 1934 included Knott and labour alderman Rice Sheppard
Rice Sheppard
Rice Sheppard was a politician and farmers' activist in Alberta, Canada. He served on Edmonton City Council for many years, ran for mayoral, provincial, and federal office, and was an executive member of the United Farmers of Alberta.-Early life:Sheppard was born April 2, 1861 in Lambourn,...
. He was re-elected in 1935
Edmonton municipal election, 1935
The 1935 municipal election was held November 13, 1935 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and four trustees to sit on the public school board...
and 1936
Edmonton municipal election, 1936
The 1936 municipal election was held November 12, 1936 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and three trustees to sit on the public school board . Voters also rejected a proposal to extend the mayor's term to two years...
(defeating future mayor and labour advocate Harry Dean Ainlay
Harry Dean Ainlay
Harry Dean Ainlay was a Canadian educator, politician, mayor of Edmonton, Alberta, and candidate for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, and the Canadian House of Commons....
on this second occasion). It was during this term that he laid the groundwork for a football stadium on the site of a closed federal prison. This stadium would eventually be named Clarke Stadium
Clarke Stadium
Clarke Stadium, in its original incarnation, was a Canadian football stadium located in Edmonton, Alberta.-History:The stadium was originally built in 1938 on land deeded to the City for the purpose of constructing public sports fields by Mackenzie King...
in his honour.
Joseph Clarke was defeated in the 1937 election
Edmonton municipal election, 1937
The 1937 municipal election was held November 10, 1937 to elect a mayor and six aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and five trustees to sit on the public school board...
by John Wesley Fry
John Wesley Fry
John Wesley Fry was a politician in Alberta, Canada and a mayor of Edmonton.-Early life:John Fry was born in Woodstock, Ontario on December 5, 1876. He grew up in Woodstock and Owen Sound and moved to Regina, Saskatchewan in 1897 to attend Normal School...
. He ran in every municipal election until the end of his life (for mayor in 1938
Edmonton municipal election, 1938
The 1938 municipal election was held November 9, 1938 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and three trustees to sit on the public school board...
and for alderman in 1939
Edmonton municipal election, 1939
The 1939 municipal election was held November 8, 1939 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council. Elections for school trustees were not held, as candidates for both the public and separate boards were acclaimed....
and 1940
Edmonton municipal election, 1940
The 1940 municipal election was held November 13, 1940 to elect a mayor and seven aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council. Elections for school trustees were not held, as candidates for both the public and separate boards were acclaimed....
) but would never again hold political office.
Provincial politics
Joseph Clarke was a perennial candidate for the Legislative Assembly of AlbertaLegislative 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...
, running provincially five times.
He first ran in the 1913 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 1913
The Alberta general election of 1913 was the third general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. The writ was dropped on 25 March 1913 and election day was held 17 April 1913 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Elections in two northern districts took place on 30 July...
as a parachute candidate in the controversial Clearwater
Clearwater (provincial electoral district)
-District history:The district was controversial because it had only 74 enumerated people when it was created under the 1913 redistribution. It was the smallest district in terms of population in Alberta history. After Joseph State died in 1924, the United Farmers government was facing a possible...
electoral district for Charles M. O'Brien's Socialist Party of Alberta
Socialist Party of Canada
There have been two different but related political parties in Canada that called themselves the Socialist Party of Canada . The current Socialist Party is an electorally inactive and unregistered federal political party in Canada...
. He was defeated by Liberal
Alberta Liberal Party
The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...
Henry William McKenney
Henry William McKenney
Henry William McKenney was a politician from Alberta, Canada.-Political career:McKenney was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in the 1905 Alberta general election in the provincial electoral district of St. Alberta...
, the incumbent M.L.A.
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
for Pembina
Pembina (provincial electoral district)
For the Albertan electoral district of the same name, see Pembina Pembina is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba.-1878-1879:...
.
Clarke next ran in the 1917 election
Alberta general election, 1917
The Alberta general election of 1917 was the fourth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada, held on 7 June 1917 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
as an independent in Edmonton East
Edmonton East (provincial electoral district)
Edmonton East was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada.The district was created in 1917, out of the Edmonton District. In 1921, the district was merged with Edmonton South and Edmonton West to form the second incarnation of the Edmonton District. Such occurrence is still a controversy...
. He finished third of four candidates - the only candidate he defeated was Andera Keil, of Clarke's old Socialist Party.
He ran again in the 1926 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 1926
The Alberta general election of 1926 was the sixth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on June 28, 1926 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. The writs of election were issued on May 10, 1926 allowing for an election period of 40 days.After Herbert...
as an independent Liberal
Alberta Liberal Party
The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...
in Edmonton
Edmonton (provincial electoral district)
Edmonton provincial electoral district existed in two incarnations from 1905 - 1909 and again from 1921 - 1955. The district was created when Alberta first became a province....
district. He finished fourth of eighteen candidates on the first count, which would have been sufficient to win one of the riding's five seats under a plurality voting system
Plurality voting system
The plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...
; however, the riding used a single transferable vote
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
system that allowed other candidates to pass him on subsequent counts. One of the candidates to do so was David Duggan
David Milwyn Duggan
David Milwyn Duggan was a politician in Alberta, Canada, a mayor of Edmonton, a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, and a leader of the Conservative Party of Alberta.-Early life:...
, the same man who had defeated Clarke in his mayoral re-election bid in 1920.
Clarke's fourth attempt at provincial office took place during the 1930 election
Alberta general election, 1930
The Alberta general election of 1930 was the seventh general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on June 19, 1930 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
, when he sought election in Edmonton
Edmonton (provincial electoral district)
Edmonton provincial electoral district existed in two incarnations from 1905 - 1909 and again from 1921 - 1955. The district was created when Alberta first became a province....
as an independent. He finished sixteenth of seventeen candidates.
Clarke's final provincial election was a 1937 by-election in Edmonton
Edmonton (provincial electoral district)
Edmonton provincial electoral district existed in two incarnations from 1905 - 1909 and again from 1921 - 1955. The district was created when Alberta first became a province....
caused by the death of incumbent Liberal
Alberta Liberal Party
The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...
G.H. Van Allen. Clarke ran as a "People's Candidate" and was backed by the new Alberta Social Credit Party government, which did not field a candidate. He finished second, as Liberal leader Edward Leslie Gray
Edward Leslie Gray
Edward Leslie Gray was a politician and member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from Alberta, Canada.Gray was elected in a by-election in the Edmonton after the death of George Van Allen. He also became the Alberta Liberal Party leader in 1937...
retained the seat for his party, which was backed by the Conservatives under the so-called "Unity Movement". Clarke was mayor of Edmonton at the time of this by-election.
Federal politics
Clarke was a perennial candidate in Federal elections, running unsuccessfully four times. He made his first bid for a seat in the Canadian House of Commons, running as a ConservativeConservative Party of Canada (historical)
The Conservative Party of Canada has gone by a variety of names over the years since Canadian Confederation. Initially known as the "Liberal-Conservative Party", it dropped "Liberal" from its name in 1873, although many of its candidates continued to use this name.As a result of World War I and the...
candidate in the a 1902 by-election in the Yukon
Yukon (electoral district)
Yukon is the only federal electoral district in Yukon Territory, Canada. It has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1902 to 1949 and since 1953....
electoral district. He was defeated by James Hamilton Ross
James Hamilton Ross
James Hamilton Ross was a Canadian politician, the Yukon Territory's third Commissioner, and an ardent defender of territorial rights...
. He made his second bid while still living in the Yukon in the 1908 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1908
The Canadian federal election of 1908 was held on October 26 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 11th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier's Liberal Party of Canada was re-elected for a fourth consecutive term in government with a majority government...
and was once again defeated, this time by Frederick Congdon
Frederick Tennyson Congdon
Frederick Tennyson Congdon was a Canadian politician, lawyer, and served as the Yukon's fourth Commissioner....
.
Clarke did not make another run for federal office until 13 years later, when he ran in Edmonton East
Edmonton East
Edmonton East is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1917.The district includes a portion of the city of Edmonton.-Geography:...
for the Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
in the 1921 federal election
Canadian federal election, 1921
The Canadian federal election of 1921 was held on December 6, 1921 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 14th Parliament of Canada. The Union government that had governed Canada through the First World War was defeated, and replaced by a Liberal government under the young leader...
(he was a personal friend of then-Liberal leader and soon to be Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
). He finished second to Progressive
Progressive Party of Canada
The Progressive Party of Canada was a political party in Canada in the 1920s and 1930s. It was linked with the provincial United Farmers parties in several provinces and, in Manitoba, ran candidates and formed governments as the Progressive Party of Manitoba...
candidate Donald Ferdinand Kellner
Donald Ferdinand Kellner
Donald Ferdinand Kellner was a politician from Alberta, Canada.Kellner was elected as a Progressive to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1921 Canadian federal election in the Edmonton East. He defeated Joseph Clarke and incumbent Henry Arthur Mackie in a 3 way race to serve his first term in...
. His final run for federal office was in Peace River
Peace River (electoral district)
Peace River is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1925. It is a rural riding in northwest Alberta, representing the counties of Saddle Hills, Birch Hills, Grande Prairie, Northern Lights, Mackenzie, and the municipal...
again running for the Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
in the 1926 Canadian federal election
Canadian federal election, 1926
The Canadian federal election of 1926 was held on September 14 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 16th Parliament of Canada. The election was called following an event known as the King-Byng Affair...
. He was defeated by Donald MacBeth Kennedy
Donald MacBeth Kennedy
Donald MacBeth Kennedy was a farmer as well as a provincial and federal level Canadian politician....
finishing third in a field of three candidates.
Personal life, death, and legacy
Clarke was an accomplished athlete, and excelled at lacrosseLacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
, and track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. He was also known for his penchant for violence, and was nicknamed "Fightin' Joe" as a result. He was implicated in a number of prostitution and gambling rings as well.
Joseph Andrew Clarke died in his sleep July 26, 1941, less than a year after contesting his last election. Clarke Stadium
Clarke Stadium
Clarke Stadium, in its original incarnation, was a Canadian football stadium located in Edmonton, Alberta.-History:The stadium was originally built in 1938 on land deeded to the City for the purpose of constructing public sports fields by Mackenzie King...
and Joe Clarke Athletic Grounds were named in his honour. His wife, Gwendolen, would become a municipal politician and serve as an alderman on the Edmonton City Council
Edmonton City Council
The Edmonton City Council is the governing body of the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.Members represent wards throughout the city, and are known as councillors. Until 2010, Edmonton was divided in six wards with two councillors representing citizens in each ward...
from 1942 to 1943 in Edmonton after his death.