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Joe Clark

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Article Genealogy
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Joe Clark
NameJoe Clark
CaptionClark in 1979
Office16th Prime Minister of Canada
Term startJune 4, 1979
Term endMarch 3, 1980
PredecessorPierre Trudeau
SuccessorPierre Trudeau
Office1Secretary of State for External Affairs
Term start1September 17, 1984
Term end1April 21, 1991
Predecessor1Jean Chrétien
Successor1Barbara McDougall
Office2Leader of the Opposition
Term start2March 3, 1980
Term end2February 29, 1984
Predecessor2Pierre Trudeau
Successor2Brian Mulroney
Office3Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party
Term start3February 22, 1976
Term end3February 19, 1983
Predecessor3Robert Stanfield
Successor3Brian Mulroney
Birth nameCharles Joseph Clark
Birth date5 June 1939
Birth placeHigh River, Alberta, Canada
PartyProgressive Conservative
SpouseMaureen McTeer, 1973
Alma materUniversity of Alberta (BA, MA)
ProfessionJournalist, Professor

Joe Clark. Charles Joseph Clark served as the sixteenth Prime Minister of Canada, leading a short-lived minority government from 1979 to 1980. A member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, he was the youngest person to assume the office and later served with distinction as Secretary of State for External Affairs under Brian Mulroney. His political career, marked by a commitment to federalism and international diplomacy, spanned several decades in Canadian politics.

Early life and education

Charles Joseph Clark was born on June 5, 1939, in High River, Alberta. He was the son of Charles A. Clark, the publisher of the High River Times, and Grace Ross. He attended High River High School before enrolling at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. At university, he was actively involved in student politics, serving as president of the University of Alberta Students' Union and editing the student newspaper, The Gateway. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in history in 1960 and a Master of Arts in political science in 1973, writing his thesis on Mackenzie King's foreign policy.

Political career

Clark's political involvement began with the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in Alberta. He worked as an assistant to Member of Parliament Davie Fulton and later for Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed. After an unsuccessful bid for the House of Commons in the 1972 election, he was elected as the Member of Parliament for Rocky Mountain in the 1974 election. His rapid rise within the party culminated in his election as national party leader at the 1976 Progressive Conservative leadership convention, defeating established figures like Claude Wagner and Flora MacDonald.

Prime Minister of Canada

Following the 1979 Canadian federal election, Clark led the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada to a minority government, defeating the Liberal Party of Canada led by Pierre Trudeau. His tenure, beginning on June 4, 1979, was dominated by economic challenges, including high inflation and unemployment. His government's first budget, which proposed an excise tax on gasoline, was defeated in the House of Commons on December 13, 1979, by a motion of non-confidence. This triggered the 1980 Canadian federal election, in which the Liberal Party of Canada under Pierre Trudeau returned to power, ending Clark's premiership on March 3, 1980, after just nine months.

Post-premiership

After the election defeat, Clark served as Leader of the Opposition until 1983, when he was succeeded by Brian Mulroney following a leadership review. He returned to cabinet in 1984 as Secretary of State for External Affairs in Mulroney's government, playing a key role in international affairs during the final years of the Cold War. He helped shape policies regarding apartheid in South Africa, supported the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations, and addressed crises such as the Gulf War. He left politics in 1993 but remained active in public service, leading missions for the United Nations and the Organization of American States in regions like Afghanistan and Haiti.

Personal life

In 1973, he married lawyer and author Maureen McTeer, establishing a distinctive partnership where she retained her maiden name. They have one daughter, Catherine Clark, a television host. The family resides in Ottawa and maintains a home in High River. Clark has worked as a journalist, corporate director, and professor at institutions like the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Alberta. He is a devoted fan of the Edmonton Oilers and an avid reader of Canadian history.

Legacy and honors

Clark is remembered as a principled politician who championed a "community of communities" vision for Canadian confederation. His diplomatic work as Secretary of State for External Affairs is widely praised, particularly his stance against apartheid. He has received numerous honors, including being made a Companion of the Order of Canada and receiving the Order of Ontario. Several institutions bear his name, such as the Joe Clark Public School in High River and the Right Honourable Joe Clark Research Chair at the University of Alberta. His papers are housed at Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa.

Category:1939 births Category:Living people Category:Prime Ministers of Canada Category:Progressive Conservative Party of Canada MPs Category:Canadian Secretaries of State for External Affairs Category:Leaders of the Opposition (Canada) Category:Companions of the Order of Canada Category:University of Alberta alumni Category:Politicians from Alberta