John Arthur Clark

John Arthur Clark
CMG, DSO, QC
John Arthur Clark CMG, DSO, QC
Member of Parliament; for Burrard
	In office; December 1921 – October 1925
Preceded by	Sanford Johnston Crowe
Succeeded by	riding dissolved
Member of Parliament; for Vancouver—Burrard
	In office; October 1925 – May 1930
Preceded by	riding created
Succeeded by	Wilfred Hanbury
23rd President of the Canadian Bar Association
	In office; 1951–1952
Preceded by	E. Gordon Gowling, K.C.
Succeeded by	André Taschereau, c.r.
Personal details
Born	8 June 1886; Dundas, Ontario
Died	18 January 1976 (aged 89); Vancouver, British Columbia
Political party	Conservative
Spouse(s)	Jean A. McGillivray; m. 24 June 1914
Profession	Barrister and solicitor
Military service
Branch/service	Canadian Expeditionary Force
Years of service	1914–1919
Rank	Brigadier General
Unit	72nd Battalion (Seaforth Highlanders of Canada), CEF
Commands	7th Canadian Brigade (1918–19); 72nd Battalion (1915–18)
Battles/wars	First World War Battle of Vimy Ridge;
Awards	Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George; Distinguished Service Order & Two Bars; Mentioned in Despatches (5)

Brigadier General John Arthur Clark, CMG, DSO & Two Bars, QC (8 June 1886 – 18 January 1976) was a Conservative member of the House of Commons of Canada. He was born in Dundas, Ontario and became a barrister and solicitor.

Clark attended secondary school in Vancouver, then studied at the University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall Law School, earning Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws degrees. During his career, he founded the law firm Clark Wilson along with his childhood friend and Second-in-Command, Alexander Wilson.

He served as a soldier during World War I, from 1914 to 1918, as commander of the 72nd Seaforth Highlanders and continued with the 7th Canadian Brigade (3rd Canadian Division) until the war's end. His awards include the Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG)^[2] and the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) with two Bars.^[1] The second bar to his DSO appeared in The London Gazette in December 1918 and reads as follows:

For most conspicuous gallantry and resourceful leadership. When one of his companies was held up by machine-gun fire from a wood, he led his men forward and by skilful tactics captured the machine guns with their crews. Two days later, when his men were again checked in front of a village, he dashed to the front, and led them to their objective, saving many casualties by his skill and fearlessness.

He was first elected to Parliament at the Burrard riding in the 1921 general election. With riding boundary changes, Clark became a candidate for Vancouver—Burrard and won election there in 1925 and 1926. After completing his third House of Commons term, the 16th Canadian Parliament, Clark left federal politics and did not seek re-election in the 1930 election.

Clark served as president of the Canadian Bar Association from 1951 to 1952.^[3]

v t e 1921 Canadian federal election: Burrard
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	John Arthur Clark	12,240	55.89	–
	Liberal	Malcolm Archibald Macdonald	6,960	31.78	+7.03
	Independent	John David Harrington	2,699	12.32	–
Total valid votes			21,899	100.0
	Conservative gain from Government (Liberal–Unionist)		Swing		+24.43

References

^ ^a ^b Normandin, A.L. (1929). Canadian Parliamentary Guide. Ottawa: Mortimer Company.
^ "No. 31370". The London Gazette. 30 May 1919. p. 6793.
^ Canadian Bar Association: Past CBA Presidents

External links

[CPG29-1] Normandin, A.L. (1929). Canadian Parliamentary Guide. Ottawa: Mortimer Company.

[2] "No. 31370". The London Gazette. 30 May 1919. p. 6793.

[3] Canadian Bar Association: Past CBA Presidents

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