Joseph Andrew Clarke (b. ~1875)
Joseph Clarke was born in Brockville Ontario and worked there for some time before he went west.1) Clarke had attended the University of Toronto before he joined the NWMP. It took him more than twelve years to complete the articling and examination requirements for admission to the bar.2) He joined the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) in 1891 at Regina and served in Calgary in 1892. He deserted the ranks having found the life too boring. He was homesick and returned to Ontario where he stood trial for desertion and was fined $100. He travelled to Montreal and then Vancouver and on to the Yukon.3)
Joseph Clarke was on the same boat headed for the Klondike in 1897 as NWMP Inspector Harper and his men. Commissioner Herchmer, who was seeing Harper off, recognised him as a man who had deserted from the force. Two members of the force going north also recognised Clarke, and Herchmer thought this would be bad for morale especially as Clarke could afford the $5 a day Driad Hotel while the NWMP were housed in the $.99 Occidental. Clarke was trained at the University of Toronto and had Liberal connections. He obtained employment in the Dawson City office of the Gold Commissioner.4)
Clarke spent eight years in the Yukon as a civil servant, mining broker, journalist, and politician, before he was admitted to the Yukon bar in the fall of 1905. He was a political agitator who revelled in his notoriety. In the spring of 1900, he became the secretary of the Citizen's Committee. This Committee was formed in September 1898 to represent the political needs of the new territory and combat executive control from Ottawa. Under Clarke's guidance, the Committee became more of a political party than a pressure group. The main body of supporters were “working class”.5)
In June 1899, Clarke was a broker in the gold mining industry. In 1900, the Yukon Sun newspaper, a strong supporter of the federal and territorial administrations, introduced the 30-year old Clarke as a “passionful young orator.” Two weeks later, it was discovered that Clarke had been a constable in the NWMP and deserted from his post at Fort Macleod and the paper then described him as a “cheeky young rascal.” At one point, Clarke brought charges of libel against Woodside, editor of the paper, but the judgement went against Clarke.6)
In October 1901, Clarke became part owner and editor of the Klondike Miner. It was not long before he was facing many charges of criminal libel. His printing press was finally seized for non-payment of the mortgage. He was nominated by the Citizen's Committee as their candidate in the federal by-elections and he was supported by the Dawson Daily News. F. T. Congdon was one of Clarke's most formidable adversaries. The Klondike Nugget had traditionally supported the Citizen's Committee but with Clarke's nomination, the Nugget aligned itself with the Yukon Sun behind the Liberal candidate. Clarke was defeated in the by-election in December 1902 but was successful in the territorial race that followed.7)
On January 13, 1903, Clarke was elected as one of the five members of the Yukon Council. He was admitted to the bar on October 24, 1905. He maintained a law office in Dawson for three years but his heart was in political office and in 1908 he ran for the Ottawa seat. He had a dismal showing and left the Yukon in January 1909. From 1912 to 1937, he maintained a law office in Edmonton and became known as “Fighting Joe” for his involvement in city politics. He was always tactless and often tasteless, but he did serve several terms as alderman and five terms as Mayor (1919., 1920, 1935-37). He made one last unsuccessful bid for the House of Commons and became King’s Council.8)
Clarke Stadium, home to the Edmonton Eskimos, was named for Joseph Clarke.9)