Henry Joseph Clarke (July 7, 1833 – September 13, 1889), who sometimes used the middle names Hynes and O'Connell, was a lawyer and politician in

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

, Canada. Born in

Donegal Donegal may refer to: County Donegal, Ireland * County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster * Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland * Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...

(now in the

Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

) on July 7, 1833, Clarke moved with his family to Canada at age three. He practiced law in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, Lower Canada, before moving to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

during the "gold rush" of 1858, and also lived in

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

for a period in the early 1860s. He returned to Montreal after this time, and developed a strong reputation as a criminal lawyer. Clarke ran for

Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British North America, British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham ...

's parliament as a

Liberal-Conservative Liberal conservatism is a political ideology combining conservative policies with liberal stances, especially on economic issues but also on social and ethical matters, representing a brand of political conservatism strongly influenced by libe ...

in the 1863 election, losing to

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

finance minister A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

Luther Hamilton Holton in the riding of Chateauguay. In 1867, he wrote a short biography of fellow Irish Catholic politician

Thomas D'Arcy McGee Thomas D'Arcy McGee (13 April 18257 April 1868) was an Irish-Canadian politician, Catholic spokesman, journalist, poet, and a Father of Canadian Confederation. The young McGee was an Irish Catholic who opposed British rule in Ireland, and w ...

. On the advice of

George-Étienne Cartier Sir George-Étienne Cartier, 1st Baronet, (pronounced ; September 6, 1814May 20, 1873) was a Canadian statesman and Father of Confederation. The English spelling of the name—George, instead of Georges, the usual French spelling—is explained ...

and Bishop

Alexandre-Antonin Taché Alexandre-Antonin Taché, O.M.I., (23 July 1823 – 22 June 1894) was a Canadian Roman Catholic priest, missionary of the Oblate order, author, and the first Archbishop of Saint Boniface in Manitoba, Canada. Early life Alexandre-Antonin ...

, Clarke moved to Manitoba in 1870 to assist in the establishment of a provincial government. He was elected by acclamation for the constituency of St. Charles in Manitoba's first general election, held on December 27, 1870. He was then appointed as the province's first

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

on January 3, 1871. In this capacity, he took a leading role in establishing the province's legal system. Clarke had a poor personal relationship with Lt. Governor

Adams George Archibald Sir Riley Robert Archibald , more commonly known as Sir Adams George Archibald (May 3, 1814 – December 14, 1892) was a Canadian lawyer and politician, and a Father of Confederation. He was based in Nova Scotia for most of his career, though ...

(1870–1872), who considered him intemperate and unduly ambitious. There were serious policy disagreements between Clarke and the Lieutenant Governors, most notably over the makeup of Manitoba's supreme court: Clarke wanted three justices to serve on the court, while Archibald preferred only a single justice. This division became a serious dispute in the province, largely due to Clarke's refusal to accept a compromise. Federal

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

John A. Macdonald Sir John Alexander Macdonald (January 10 or 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 to 1891. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, he had a political career that sp ...

eventually intervened, and established a court with a single justice. Clarke also wanted departmental control over the number of lawyers in Manitoba. In 1871, he navigated a bill through the assembly which would have restricted the number of out-of-province lawyers to ten, and given the Attorney General's office final authority over who could practice. This measure was opposed by Archibald, and was overridden by the federal government. Clarke was a political spokesman for those members of Manitoba's

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...

community who opposed the leadership of

Louis Riel Louis Riel (; ; 22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political leader of the Métis people. He led two resistance movements against the Government of Canada and its first ...

. As such, he was opposed by both "ultra-loyalists" among the English and by Riel's more numerous supporters among the Métis, and frequently clashed with fellow cabinet member

Joseph Royal Joseph Royal (7 May 1837 – 23 August 1902) was a Canadians, Canadian journalist, lawyer, politician, businessman, and Lieutenant-Governors of Northwest Territories, Lieutenant Governor of the Northwest Territories. Early life and career ...

, a political spokesman for the latter group. When three Métis were arrested on charges of treason following

Fenian The word ''Fenian'' () served as an umbrella term for the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and their affiliate in the United States, the Fenian Brotherhood, secret political organisations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries dedicated ...

raids in 1871, Clarke personally led the prosecution while Royal acted at the chief defense lawyer. Two of the defendants were acquitted, and one was convicted. In the Canadian general election of 1872, Clarke stood as a candidate against Riel in the riding of

Provencher Provencher is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1871. It is a largely rural district in the province's southeast corner. Its largest community is the city of St ...

. However, both candidates resigned to allow the acclamation of

following the latter's defeat in Montreal. Clarke was a provincial representative to Ottawa in 1871 and 1873, for meetings on immigration and "better terms" for the province. In 1873, Clarke publicly defended Lord Gordon Gordon, an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

trader and con-man who claimed to be a Scottish lord, and made a fortune in investment fraud. The revelation of Gordon's true identity was an embarrassment for Clarke. The ministry which included Clarke was defeated in the legislature in July 1874, when

John Norquay John Norquay (May 8, 1841 – July 5, 1889) was the fifth premier of Manitoba from 1878 to 1887. He was born near St. Andrews in what was then the Red River Colony, making him the first Premier of Manitoba to have been born in the region. ...

's bill for electoral redistribution was defeated. Clarke resigned as Attorney General, and returned to California. While stopping over in

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, he was beset upon by a group of investors who ran been defrauded by Gordon Gordon, and was seriously injured. He returned to

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

in 1877, and ran unsuccessfully for the constituency of Rockwood in the provincial elections of

1878 Events January–March * January 5 – Russo-Turkish War – Battle of Shipka Pass IV: Russian and Bulgarian forces defeat the Ottoman Empire. * January 9 – Umberto I becomes King of Italy. * January 17 – Battle o ...

and 1879. Previously a supporter of French language rights, Clarke was by this time campaigning against bilingualism and state funding for Catholic schools. Despite this, he later defended twenty-five followers of Louis Riel in court, after the second Riel Rebellion of 1885. Clarke died near

Medicine Hat Medicine Hat is a city in Southern Alberta, southeast Alberta, Canada. It is located along the South Saskatchewan River. It is approximately east of Lethbridge and southeast of Calgary. This city and the adjacent Town of Redcliff, Alberta, ...

in 1889, while travelling by train. Clarke is sometimes listed as the third Premier of Manitoba, but this is inaccurate. Like his "predecessors" Alfred Boyd and Marc-Amable Girard, Clarke was simply a leading minister in a cabinet controlled by the province's Lieutenant Governors. Morris, in fact, rejected Clarke's request to be recognized as Premier in 1873. Some modern sources list Clarke as having been the "Chief Minister" of Manitoba from 1872 to 1874, but he was not described by this title at the time; the term appears to be a more recent invention. Clarke was, however, acknowledged as the government leader in the legislature from 1871 to 1874.

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Henry Joseph 1833 births 1889 deaths Canadian Roman Catholics Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories Canadian people of Ulster-Scottish descent Politicians from County Donegal Premiers of Manitoba Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation Quebec Immigrants to Lower Canada Anglophone Quebec people