Clarke, Thomas James, 1858-1916
Biographical note
Thomas Clarke, revolutionary leader. Born on the Isle of Wight in 1858, his father was in the British Army. The Clarkes emigrated to South Africa and stayed there for about 10 years before moving to Dungannon, Co. Tyrone, Ireland. Clarke stayed in Dungannon until moving to the United States in 1878, where he joined Clan na Gael, the American wing of the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB). In 1883, Clarke and Thomas Gallagher were sent to England on a dynamiting mission. Both were arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment for treason. Clarke was released in 1898, returned to Ireland but was unable to find work so returned to the US in 1900. He resumed his activities with Clan na Gael, working on the Gaelic American. In 1901, he married Kathleen Daly. They returned to Ireland in 1907 and established a newspaper and tobacconist shop in Dublin. Clarke worked to reorganize the IRB and was elected to the Supreme Council. In September 1915, he was admitted into the IRB's secret Military Council and presided over the meeting that decided to proceed with the Easter Rising. As the oldest member of the Provisional Government and a Fenian, Clarke was the first signatory of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic. He fought in the General Post Office (GPO) during Easter week and was court-martialed on May 1, 1916. He was executed by firing squad on May 3.
Social Networks and Archival Context (SNAC) Identifier
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Kathleen Daly Clarke papers and collection of Thomas Clarke and Irish political materials
The collection contains the personal and professional papers of Kathleen Daly Clarke (1878-1972), a founding member of Cumann na mBan and an Irish politician, as well as her collection of materials about her husband Thomas Clarke and Irish politics in the first half of the twentieth century. Materials include correspondence, photographs, artwork, clippings, and publications and ephemera circulated by Irish political groups, including Sinn Fein and Fianna Fail.
Collection is open for research.