Sir Edward George Clarke
(1841-1931), Barrister and politicianSitter in 21 portraits
Sir Edward Clarke was considered one of the leading advocates of the late Victorian era. He trained in the law, and became a barrister in 1864, quickly making a name for himself at the Bar. Clarke was made a queen's counsel in 1880 and a bencher of Lincoln's Inn in 1882. His legal career included representing Oscar Wilde in 1895 in his disastrous prosecution of the Marquess of Queensberry for libel. Clarke entered Parliament as an MP in 1880 and served as Solicitor General in the Conservative government of 1886-92. In 1899, he found himself in disagreement with his party over the government's South African policy, and he resigned his seat in Parliament the following year.
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