Edward Blake

Birth Name: Dominick Edward Blake

Date of Birth: October 13, 1833

Place of Birth: Adelaide Township, Upper Canada

Date of Death: March 1, 1912

Place of Death: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Ethnicity: Northern Irish

Edward Blake was a Canadian politician. He served as Premier of Ontario, from December 20, 1871 to October 25, 1872, and Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons, from May 4, 1880 to June 2, 1887. He was later a Member of Parliament for South Longford, in the U.K., from July 1892 to 1907. He was the only Liberal Party leader (on a permanent basis) never to become Prime Minister, until the 21st century.

Edward was the son of Catherine Honoria (Hume) and William Hume Blake, who was a jurist and politician. His father was born at his own grandfather’s Humewood Castle, in Kiltegan, County Wicklow, Ireland, and moved to Canada in 1832. He was Chancellor of the University of Toronto, from 1852 to 1856. Edward’s brother was politician and social reformer Samuel Hume Blake.

Edward was married to Margaret Cronyn, with whom he had seven children. Margaret was the daughter of Benjamin Cronyn, who was the first bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Huron. Edward’s brother Samuel married Margaret’s sister Rebecca, and Edward’s sister Sophia married Margaret’s brother Verschoyle; Sophia and Verschoyle were the grandparents of actor Hume Cronyn.

One of Edward and Margaret’s daughters, Sophia, married clergyman and historian George MacKinnon Wrong. Through Sophia, Edward was the grandfather of historian, professor, and career diplomat Humphrey Hume Wrong, who was Canada’s ambassador to the U.S.; and great-grandfather of Humphrey’s son, sociologist and emeritus professor Dennis Wrong.

Edward’s paternal grandfather was The Rev. Dominick Edward Blake.

Edward’s paternal grandmother was named Ann Hume (the daughter of William Hume). William Hume was an M.P., of Humewood Castle.

Edward’s maternal grandfather was named Joseph Samuel Hume.

Edward’s maternal grandmother was named Eliza.

Source: Genealogy of Edward Blake (focusing on his mother’s side) – https://www.geni.com

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