Blake, Edward

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Blake, Edward

1833-1912

Edward Blake (1833-1912) was a federal and provincial politician, Liberal member of Canada's federal parliament and Ontario Legislative Assembly, leader of the Liberal Party of Ontario (1869- 1872), Premier of Ontario (1871-1872), and leader of the Liberal opposition in Ottawa (1880-1887).

Edward Blake was born at Katesville on Bear Creek, on 13 October 1833. He was educated at Upper Canada College and the University of Toronto. He was called to the bar in 1856 and entered into the practice of law with his younger brother, Samuel Hume Blake. The firm was very successful and had a large practice in colonial appeals to the Privy Council.

In 1858, Blake married Margaret Cronyn, second daughter of the Rt. Rev. Benjamin Cronyn. They had seven children, of whom three died in early childhood. The sons, Edward Hume, Edward Francis and Samuel Verschoyle, all entered the family law firm.

Blake's political career began in 1867, when he was elected as the Liberal Member from South Bruce to the Ontario Assembly and as the Member from West Durham to Canada's Parliament. He was offered the leadership of the Opposition in the Ontario Assembly, but did not accept the position until 1869. Then, on the defeat of the Sandfield Macdonald administration in December 1871, he became Premier of Ontario. In the next year, following a provincial act prohibiting members of the Ontario Assembly from simultaneously holding seats in the federal Parliament, Blake retired from provincial politics.

Blake agreed to join Alexander Mackenzie's Liberal administration in Ottawa as minister without portfolio. He served as minister without portfolio from 1872- 1873, as Minister of Justice from May 1875 until June, 1877, and after that took the nominal post of President of the Council. In January 1878, he resigned from the cabinet.

Blake had been offered the leadership of the national Liberal party in 1872, but declined. However, on Alexander Mackenzie's resignation from the leadership in 1880, Blake succeeded him. For seven years and through two general elections, Blake led the federal Liberal party. He resigned in 1887 following the second defeat under his leadership. For two sessions, he was absent from Parliament, but in 1889 he returned. However, rumours that he would soon resume leadership of the party proved to be false and, in the general election of 1891, because he was opposed to unrestricted reciprocity with the United States, one of the principal planks in the Liberal platform, he did not contest a seat. The next year he accepted an invitation from the leaders of the Irish parliamentary party to stand for election to the British House of Commons. He was elected and remained an Irish Nationalist member until ill- health forced him to retire in 1907.

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