Robert Curtis Clark
Encyclopedia
Robert "Bob" Curtis Clark (born July 2, 1937 in Acme
, Alberta
, Canada
) is a former teacher, civil servant and provincial level politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
from 1960 to 1981. During his career he served as Leader of the Alberta Social Credit Party
and Leader of the Official Opposition. After his provincial political career, he served as the Alberta Ethics Commissioner from April 1, 1992 to March 31, 2003.
. Four years later he made a run for provincial political office.
on November 30, 1960. The by-election was caused by the death of the previous member James Owens
. Clark won the hotly contested three way race for the Socreds by doubling the votes of second place candidate J.A. Lore of the Liberals
. He became the youngest Alberta provincial MLA winning the electoral district at age of twenty-three years old.
Clark's electoral district was abolished for the 1963 Alberta general election
. He ran for his second full term in office in the new Olds-Didsbury
riding. He won the new district in a landslide three way race.
in 1966. Manning appointed Clark as Minister of Youth due to his young age. Clark would run for a third term in office, this time as a Cabinet Minister in the 1967 general election
. In that election Clark slightly increased his plurality as he finished well ahead in the field of four candidates. In 1968 Clark was appointed as Minister of Education by Premier Harry Strom
. Clark ran for a fourth term in office in the 1971 general election
. Despite the defeat of the Social Credit government, Clark was easily returned to his seat.
who did not have a seat in the legislature. Schmidt led the party to a very poor showing in the 1975 general election
, and Clark was chosen by caucus as leader upon Schmidt's resignation following the election. His leadership was confirmed at the party's December convention.
The party lost almost 23% of its popular vote and dropped from 25 to four seats in the Legislature. Clark easily won his home district, defeating two other candidates with a large majority. He led Social Credit to a larger popular vote but fail to gain any seats in the 1979 general election
. In his home district he won that election with the biggest plurality of his career as he remained personally popular. Less than a year after the election Clark resigned from his post as Social Credit leader, and resigned his seat on November 30, 1981. His resignation from the Legislature marked the beginning of the end for Social Credit as a force in the province. Western Canada Concept
won his former electoral district in the subsequent by-election.
Clark did not go to University when he was younger but he was awarded an honorary doctorate of law degree by the University of Calgary
on June 8, 1988.
He was also appointed as Alberta's first Information and Privacy Commissioner from 1995 to 2001. On March 12, 2002 he would serve the government in another capacity as he was appointed Chairman of the Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission in 2002.
In 2003 Clark was awarded the Alberta Lieutenant Governor's Award for his dedication to public service.
After resigning from his post as Alberta Ethics Commissioner he worked as the Ethics Advisor for the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board and serving from 2002 until 2007. Since 2006 he has worked as the Chair of Rural Alberta's Development Fund.
Acme, Alberta
Acme is a village in south-central Alberta, Canada. It is located northeast of Calgary, Alberta. It was the first village to be incorporated in Kneehill County....
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) is a former teacher, civil servant and provincial level politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
Legislative Assembly of Alberta
The Legislative Assembly of Alberta is one of two components of the Legislature of Alberta, the other being the Queen, represented by the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta. The Alberta legislature meets in the Alberta Legislature Building in the provincial capital, Edmonton...
from 1960 to 1981. During his career he served as Leader of the Alberta Social Credit Party
Social Credit Party of Alberta
The Alberta Social Credit Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada, that was founded on the social credit monetary policy and conservative Christian social values....
and Leader of the Official Opposition. After his provincial political career, he served as the Alberta Ethics Commissioner from April 1, 1992 to March 31, 2003.
Early life
Robert Curtis Clark was born in Acme on July 2, 1937. He became a school teacher at the age of nineteen in 1956 for Mountain View CountyMountain View County, Alberta
Mountain View County is a municipal district in Division No. 6 in the central Alberta, Canada. It is located between the cities of Calgary and Red Deer within the Calgary-Edmonton corridor. Mountain View County is a member of the Central Alberta Economic Partnership, Alberta Association of...
. Four years later he made a run for provincial political office.
Early career
Clark was first elected to the Alberta Legislature in a by-election held in the electoral district of DidsburyDidsbury (provincial electoral district)
Didsbury is a former provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada. The electoral district returned a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1909 to 1963.- Members of the Legislative Assembly :-1944 general election:...
on November 30, 1960. The by-election was caused by the death of the previous member James Owens
James Lawrence Owens
James Lawrence Owens was a provincial politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1955 until his death in 1960 sitting with the Social Credit caucus in government.-Political career:...
. Clark won the hotly contested three way race for the Socreds by doubling the votes of second place candidate J.A. Lore of the Liberals
Alberta Liberal Party
The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...
. He became the youngest Alberta provincial MLA winning the electoral district at age of twenty-three years old.
Clark's electoral district was abolished for the 1963 Alberta general election
Alberta general election, 1963
The Alberta general election of 1963 was the fifteenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on June 17, 1963 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.The Social Credit Party, led by Ernest C...
. He ran for his second full term in office in the new Olds-Didsbury
Olds-Didsbury
Olds-Didsbury was a provincial electoral district in central southern Alberta, Canada.The riding was created in 1963 as a merger between the Olds and Didsbury ridings....
riding. He won the new district in a landslide three way race.
Cabinet Minister
Clark was appointed to the cabinet by Premier Ernest ManningErnest Manning
Ernest Charles Manning, , a Canadian politician, was the eighth Premier of Alberta between 1943 and 1968 for the Social Credit Party of Alberta. He served longer than any premier in the province's history, and was the second longest serving provincial premier in Canadian history...
in 1966. Manning appointed Clark as Minister of Youth due to his young age. Clark would run for a third term in office, this time as a Cabinet Minister in the 1967 general election
Alberta general election, 1967
The Alberta general election of 1967 was the sixteenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on May 23, 1967 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
. In that election Clark slightly increased his plurality as he finished well ahead in the field of four candidates. In 1968 Clark was appointed as Minister of Education by Premier Harry Strom
Harry Strom
Harry Edwin Strom was the ninth Premier of Alberta, Canada, from 1968 to 1971. His two and a half years as Premier were the last of the thirty-six year Social Credit dynasty, as his defeat by Peter Lougheed saw its replacement by a new era Progressive Conservative government...
. Clark ran for a fourth term in office in the 1971 general election
Alberta general election, 1971
The Alberta general election of 1971 was the seventeenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on August 30, 1971 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
. Despite the defeat of the Social Credit government, Clark was easily returned to his seat.
Opposition leader
Clark was chosen as Official Opposition leader by the Social Credit caucus in September 1973 after James Henderson left the caucus to sit as an independent. He ran for the leadership of the party but was defeated in an upset by Werner SchmidtWerner Schmidt
Werner Schmidt is a former Canadian politician. A teacher and school principal.-Political career:Schmidt was vice-president of Lethbridge Community College when he was chosen to succeed Harry Strom as leader of the Alberta Social Credit Party following the defeat of Strom's government in 1971...
who did not have a seat in the legislature. Schmidt led the party to a very poor showing in the 1975 general election
Alberta general election, 1975
The Alberta general election of 1975 was the eighteenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on March 25, 1975 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
, and Clark was chosen by caucus as leader upon Schmidt's resignation following the election. His leadership was confirmed at the party's December convention.
The party lost almost 23% of its popular vote and dropped from 25 to four seats in the Legislature. Clark easily won his home district, defeating two other candidates with a large majority. He led Social Credit to a larger popular vote but fail to gain any seats in the 1979 general election
Alberta general election, 1979
The Alberta general election of 1979 was the nineteenth general election for the Province of Alberta, Canada. It was held on March 14, 1979 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta....
. In his home district he won that election with the biggest plurality of his career as he remained personally popular. Less than a year after the election Clark resigned from his post as Social Credit leader, and resigned his seat on November 30, 1981. His resignation from the Legislature marked the beginning of the end for Social Credit as a force in the province. Western Canada Concept
Western Canada Concept
The Western Canada Concept was a Western Canadian political party founded in 1980 to promote the separation of the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia and the Yukon and Northwest Territories from Canada in order to create a new nation.The party argued that Western...
won his former electoral district in the subsequent by-election.
After politics
After leaving political office, Clark became a consultant for Hill and Knowlton and Public Affairs International. He served both those roles from 1981 until his appointed as Ethics Commissioner in 1992. In 1986 he became a member of the Board of Directors and later Chairman of the Board for the Special Waste Management Corporation.Clark did not go to University when he was younger but he was awarded an honorary doctorate of law degree by the University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
on June 8, 1988.
Public servant
Clark was appointed as the first Alberta Ethics Commissioner by the provincial government in 1992. He has served that post from April 1, 1992 to March 31, 2003.He was also appointed as Alberta's first Information and Privacy Commissioner from 1995 to 2001. On March 12, 2002 he would serve the government in another capacity as he was appointed Chairman of the Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission in 2002.
In 2003 Clark was awarded the Alberta Lieutenant Governor's Award for his dedication to public service.
After resigning from his post as Alberta Ethics Commissioner he worked as the Ethics Advisor for the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board and serving from 2002 until 2007. Since 2006 he has worked as the Chair of Rural Alberta's Development Fund.