Blake, Edward

Blake, Edward, 1833–1912, Canadian Liberal party leader, b. Upper Canada (Ontario). A prominent constitutional lawyer, he was elected to the House of Commons in 1867. In 1871 he became premier of Ontario, and he later served as minister of justice (1875–77) in Alexander Mackenzie's government and as leader of the Liberal party (1880–87). After withdrawing from Canadian politics (1890), he sat in the British House of Commons (1892–1907) as an Irish nationalist.

Bibliography

See biography by M. A. Banks (1957).

---

Blake, Edward

(born Oct. 13, 1833, Adelaide, Upper Canada—died March 1, 1912, Toronto, Ont., Can.) Canadian politician. Blake was called to the bar in 1856 and created a queen's counsel in 1864. In 1867 he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons. He served as premier of Ontario (1871–72) and minister of justice (1875–77) in Alexander Mackenzie's cabinet, helping draft the constitution. He was leader of the Liberal Party (1880–87). In 1890 he withdrew from Canadian politics and moved to Ireland, where he served in the British House of Commons (1892–1907).