Joe Clark - Former Prime Minister of Canada, Timeline and Life
Joe Clark's Personal Details
Joe Clark is a Canadian politician, journalist, writer and businessman who served as the 16th Prime Minister of Canada between 1979 and 1980
| Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birthday | June 5, 1939 |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Famous | Leaders, Political Leaders, Prime Ministers, Media Personalities, Former Prime Minister of Canada |
| Spouses | Maureen McTeer |
| Known as | Charles Joseph Clark, Charles Joseph |
| Childrens | Catherine Clark |
| Universities |
|
| Birth Place | High River, Canada |
| Political Ideology | Progressive Conservative Party of Canada |
| Religion | Catholicism |
| Gender | Male |
| Net Worth | $52 Million as of jan 2017 |
| Sun Sign | Gemini |
| Born in | High River, Canada |
| Famous as | Former Prime Minister of Canada |
// Famous Former Prime Minister of Canada
John Turner
John Turner is a Canadian politician who served as the 17th Prime Minister of Canada. This biography gives details of his childhood, early life, career, major works, awards, personal life, legacy and trivia.
Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper is a Canadian entrepreneur, economist, retired politician, and former Prime Minister of the country. Check out this biography to know about his childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about his life.
Joe Clark's photo
Who is Joe Clark?
Joe Clark is a Canadian politician, journalist, writer and businessman who served as the 16th Prime Minister of Canada between 1979 and 1980. He is known for becoming the youngest Prime Minister in Canada's history, and is also known for his short tenure in this role. Leading a minority government formed by the Progressive Conservative Party, he refused to form a coalition with the smaller parties and was defeated on a motion of non-confidence vote. Despite his party's loss in the 1980 election, he retained his leadership position till 1983, when he decided that a two-third majority in the party was not enough and pushed for a leadership convention. His party won the 1984 election, following which he served as the Secretary of State for External Affairs in Prime Minister Brian Mulroney's cabinet. He initially retired from politics in 1993, and despite his failure as the Prime Minister, was voted the single most trusted political personality in Canada at the time of his retirement. He was reinstated as the Progressive Conservative Party leader in 1998, and returned to the Parliament as a member of the House of Commons in 2000. He served in that position till the party's dissolution in 2004.
// Famous Political Leaders
Edi Rama
Edi Rama is the current Prime Minister of Albania. Check out this biography to know about his childhood, life, achievements, works & timeline.
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the current President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Check out this biography to know about his birthday, childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about him.
Leo Varadkar
Cam Leo Varadkar is the current Taoiseach—the Prime Minister—of the Republic of Ireland. Check out this biography to know about his childhood, family life, achievements and other facts about his life.
Childhood & Early Life
Charles Joseph 'Joe' Clark was born on June 5, 1939, in High River, Alberta, to local newspaper publisher, Charles A. Clark, and his wife Grace Roselyn, a school teacher. His parents first met while studying at the University of Alberta, and subsequently married in 1937.
After completing school, he attended the University of Alberta, from where he completed his bachelor's degree in history in 1960 and his master's degree in political science in 1963. From 1965 to 1967, he served as a political science teacher at the university.
During his school years, he became interested in journalism while working for the local newspapers 'High River Times' and the 'Calgary Albertan'. After entering university, he worked for the student newspaper, 'The Gateway', and later became its editor-in-chief. He also worked at the 'Edmonton Journal' and 'The Canadian Press' for one summer each and even considered a career in journalism.
He sought to earn a law degree at the Dalhousie Law School and at University of British Columbia Faculty of Law in Vancouver, but both times his active participation in politics hampered his studies. He served as the president of the Progressive Conservative Youth wing for two terms and then became a fulltime party worker.
Career
An admirer of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, Joe Clark was interested in politics from an early age and actively participated in political debates during his time as the national president for the Young PCs (Progressive Conservatives) group. However, his attempt at running as a candidate for the Progressive Conservatives in the 1967 provincial election resulted in a failure.
He was elected to Parliament as the MP for Rocky Mountain in the Canadian federal election of 1972 and won the party leadership in 1976 following the resignation of the then party leader Robert Stanfield. Clark, who was only 36 at the time, became the youngest-ever leader of a major federal party in the history of Canadian politics, an achievement he still holds.
Initially mocked by the media for his frail figure and clumsiness, he reshaped his party by enlisting the help of experienced staffer members and went on to earn the respect of the common people. During the 1979 elections, when the Liberal government was unpopular after failing to rein in budget deficit, high inflation, and unemployment, he snatched the opportunity and managed to win 136 seats to topple his opponent.
Ending the 16-year-long Liberal rule in Canada, he formed a minority government, becoming Canada's youngest prime minister on June 4, 1979, one day before his 40th birthday. However, his own government fell on a motion of non-confidence vote following a new proposed budget that was rejected by the House of Commons.
His party was confident of winning the 1980 reelections after the opposition leader, Pierre Trudeau, expressed his wish to step down. However, Trudeau cancelled his resignation eventually and once again assumed leadership of his party, which swayed voters to his side due to their disappointment with the PC government that failed to keep election promises.
Following the loss in the 1980 election, he started to lose ground in the party and his position as the leader was challenged as 33.5% of the delegates supported a leadership review at the party's 1981 convention. Witnessing a similar trend in the 1983 party convention, he declared that two-thirds majority was not enough and called for a leadership convention in which challenger Brian Mulroney won the leadership of the party.
In the 1984 election, Mulroney won by a huge margin, following which Clark served in his cabinet as the Secretary of State for External Affairs. He served as the President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada for two years from April 1991 and around the same time became the Minister responsible for Constitutional Affairs, drafting the attempted Charlottetown Accord.
The failure of the Charlottetown Accord nearly annihilated the party in 1993, following which he retired from politics and established his own consulting firm, Joe Clark and Associates, Ltd. He subsequently became a Regents' Lecturer in the Canadian Studies Program at the University of California, Berkeley, and published the book 'A Nation Too Good to Lose: Renewing the Purpose of Canada' in 1994.
He eventually came back from retirement in 1998 to retake the party leadership following a teleconference vote by PC members. He used his past experience to rebuild the party, which became the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons in May 2003.
Following the Progressive Conservative-Canadian Alliance merger in December 2003, he did not join the new Conservative Party of Canada, and remained a PC MP for the rest of the session. He has since then endorsed individual Liberal and Conservative candidates, and continues to exercise his experience in foreign affairs.
Major Works
A bold social liberalist, Joe Clark stood for the decriminalization of marijuana in Canada and for a guaranteed minimum wage for everyone during his tenure as the PM. As the Secretary of State for External Affairs, he is known for his role in the appointment of Stephen Lewis as Canada's ambassador to the UN and his strong stand against apartheid in South Africa.
Awards & Achievements
In 1994, Joe Clark received the second highest honor of merit in the country when he was named a Companion of the Order of Canada. He is also a member of the Alberta Order of Excellence.
In 2004, he received the 'Award for Excellence in the Cause of Parliamentary Democracy' by Canada's Churchill Society.
Personal Life & Legacy
In 1973, Joe Clark married law student and political organizer, Maureen McTeer, who later became a well-known author and lawyer. The two first met after he hired her to work in his parliamentary office. They have a daughter named Catherine who worked in the public relations and broadcasting sector.
Trivia
Joe Clark's wife Maureen McTeer earned limelight for keeping her maiden name even after marriage, which was not the norm at the time. However, many later female politicians have since then followed in her footsteps.
// Famous Leaders
Edi Rama
Edi Rama is the current Prime Minister of Albania. Check out this biography to know about his childhood, life, achievements, works & timeline.
Tecumseh
Tecumseh was a Native American leader of the Shawnee clan. This biography profiles his childhood, life and timeline.
Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the current President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Check out this biography to know about his birthday, childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about him.
Joe Clark's awards
| Year | Name | Award |
|---|---|---|
Other | ||
| 0 | Companion of the Order of Canada | |
Joe Clark biography timelines
- // 5th Jun 1939Charles Joseph 'Joe' Clark was born on June 5, 1939, in High River, Alberta, to local newspaper publisher, Charles A. Clark, and his wife Grace Roselyn, a school teacher. His parents first met while studying at the University of Alberta, and subsequently married in 1937.
- // 1963After completing school, he attended the University of Alberta, from where he completed his bachelor's degree in history in 1960 and his master's degree in political science in 1963. From 1965 to 1967, he served as a political science teacher at the university.
- // 1972He was elected to Parliament as the MP for Rocky Mountain in the Canadian federal election of 1972 and won the party leadership in 1976 following the resignation of the then party leader Robert Stanfield. Clark, who was only 36 at the time, became the youngest-ever leader of a major federal party in the history of Canadian politics, an achievement he still holds.
- // 1973In 1973, Joe Clark married law student and political organizer, Maureen McTeer, who later became a well-known author and lawyer. The two first met after he hired her to work in his parliamentary office. They have a daughter named Catherine who worked in the public relations and broadcasting sector.
- // 1979Ending the 16-year-long Liberal rule in Canada, he formed a minority government, becoming Canada's youngest prime minister on June 4, 1979, one day before his 40th birthday. However, his own government fell on a motion of non-confidence vote following a new proposed budget that was rejected by the House of Commons.
- // 1980Following the loss in the 1980 election, he started to lose ground in the party and his position as the leader was challenged as 33.5% of the delegates supported a leadership review at the party's 1981 convention. Witnessing a similar trend in the 1983 party convention, he declared that two-thirds majority was not enough and called for a leadership convention in which challenger Brian Mulroney won the leadership of the party.
- // 1984In the 1984 election, Mulroney won by a huge margin, following which Clark served in his cabinet as the Secretary of State for External Affairs. He served as the President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada for two years from April 1991 and around the same time became the Minister responsible for Constitutional Affairs, drafting the attempted Charlottetown Accord.
- // 1993The failure of the Charlottetown Accord nearly annihilated the party in 1993, following which he retired from politics and established his own consulting firm, Joe Clark and Associates, Ltd. He subsequently became a Regents' Lecturer in the Canadian Studies Program at the University of California, Berkeley, and published the book 'A Nation Too Good to Lose: Renewing the Purpose of Canada' in 1994.
- // 1994In 1994, Joe Clark received the second highest honor of merit in the country when he was named a Companion of the Order of Canada. He is also a member of the Alberta Order of Excellence.
- // 1998He eventually came back from retirement in 1998 to retake the party leadership following a teleconference vote by PC members. He used his past experience to rebuild the party, which became the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons in May 2003.
- // 2003Following the Progressive Conservative-Canadian Alliance merger in December 2003, he did not join the new Conservative Party of Canada, and remained a PC MP for the rest of the session. He has since then endorsed individual Liberal and Conservative candidates, and continues to exercise his experience in foreign affairs.
- // 2004In 2004, he received the 'Award for Excellence in the Cause of Parliamentary Democracy' by Canada's Churchill Society.
// Famous Media Personalities
Wanda Nara
Wanda Nara is an Argentine model, reality personality, and football agent, more famous as the wife of Argentine football player Mauro Icardi.
Melinda Farrell
Melinda Farrell is an internationally renowned sports anchor and freelance sports reporter. This biography profiles her childhood, life, career, achievements, and some facts.
Art Bell
Art Bell was an American broadcaster and author, known as ‘The King of Late Night Radio.’ Check out this biography to know more about his childhood, family, personal life, career, etc.
Pete Hegseth
Pete Hegseth is a FOX News Channel contributor from America. Check out this biography to know about his childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about him.
Suze Orman
Suze Orman is an American television host, financial advisor, author and motivational speaker, famous for her ‘The Suze Orman Show’ on CNBC. This biography profiles her childhood, life, career, works, achievements and timeline.
Shannon Bream
Shannon Bream is an American journalist and a Fox News veteran. Check out this biography to know about her childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about her.
Joe Clark's FAQ
What is Joe Clark birthday?
Joe Clark was born at 1939-06-05
Where is Joe Clark's birth place?
Joe Clark was born in High River, Canada
What is Joe Clark nationalities?
Joe Clark's nationalities is Canadian
Who is Joe Clark spouses?
Joe Clark's spouses is Maureen McTeer
Who is Joe Clark childrens?
Joe Clark's childrens is Catherine Clark
What was Joe Clark universities?
Joe Clark studied at University of British Columbia, University of Alberta
What is Joe Clark's political ideology?
Joe Clark's political ideology is Progressive Conservative Party of Canada
What is Joe Clark's religion?
Joe Clark's religion is Catholicism
What is Joe Clark's sun sign?
Joe Clark is Gemini
How famous is Joe Clark?
Joe Clark is famouse as Former Prime Minister of Canada