Henry Edward Clarke

Who was Henry Edward Clarke?

Henry Edward Clarke was an Ontario businessman and political figure. He represented Toronto West from 1883 to 1886 and Toronto from 1886 to 1892 in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Conservative.

He was born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec in 1829, the son of Irish immigrants. After completing his schooling, he apprenticed as a saddle and trunk maker in Montreal. In 1848, he moved to Bytown where he opened a saddlery shop. In 1853, he returned to Montreal; the following year, he opened a branch store in Toronto for a Montreal merchant and bought the operation himself in the following year. In 1856, he married Ann Kennedy. Clarke served on Toronto city council for several years before entering provincial politics.

Clarke died suddenly in 1892 while speaking in the assembly.