Joseph Clarke (politician)
| Joseph Clarke | |
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| 15th Mayor of Edmonton | |
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In office December 9, 1918 – December 13, 1920 |
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| Preceded by | Harry Marshall Erskine Evans |
| Succeeded by | David Milwyn Duggan |
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In office November 14, 1934 – November 10, 1937 |
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| Preceded by | Daniel Kennedy Knott |
| Succeeded by | John Wesley Fry |
| Alderman on Edmonton City Council | |
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In office February 16, 1912 – December 9, 1912 |
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In office December 8, 1913 – December 13, 1915 |
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In office December 8, 1924 – December 14, 1925 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
September 20, 1869 Osnabruck Center, Ontario |
| Died | July 27, 1941 (aged 71) Edmonton, Alberta |
| Political party | Labour, Independent, Civic Youth Association |
| Other political affiliations |
Socialist Party of Alberta, Conservative Party of Canada, Liberal Party of Canada, People's Candidate |
| Spouse(s) | Gwendolen Asbury |
| Children | Three |
| Alma mater | York University |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
Joseph Andrew Clarke (September 20, 1869 – July 27, 1941) 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).
Clarke was born in Osnabruck Center, Ontario. 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 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.
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, 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.
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