1st Parliament of British Columbia

The 1st Legislative Assembly of British Columbia sat from 1871 to 1875. The members were elected in the British Columbia general election held in October 1871. John Foster McCreight was called upon to form a cabinet. In December 1872, the government was defeated on a confidence motion and Amor De Cosmos subsequently formed a new cabinet. After De Cosmos was elected to the House of Commons in February 1874, George A. Walken became premier.[1]

There were four sessions of the 1st Legislature:[2]

Session  | Start  | End

|
|

1st  | February 15, 1872  | April 11, 1872
2nd  | December 17, 1872  | February 21, 1873
3rd  | December 18, 1873  | March 2, 1874
4th  | March 1, 1875  | April 22, 1875

James Trimble served as speaker.[3]

## Members of the 1st General Assembly

[edit]

The following members were elected to the assembly in 1871:[1]

Member  | Electoral district

|

George A. Walkem | Cariboo
Joseph Hunter
Cornelius Booth
John Ash | Comox
William Smithe | Cowichan
John Paton Booth
A. Rocke Robertson | Esquimalt
Henry Cogan
John Andrew Mara | Kootenay
Charles Todd
Andrew T. Jamieson | Lillooet
T. B. Humphreys
John Robson | Nanaimo
Henry Holbrook | New Westminster City
Josiah Charles Hughes | New Westminster District
William Armstrong
Robert Beaven | Victoria City
John Foster McCreight
Simeon Duck
James Trimble
Amor De Cosmos | Victoria District
Arthur Bunster
Robert Smith | Yale
James Robinson
Charles A. Semlin

## By-elections

[edit]

By-elections were held for the following members appointed to the provincial cabinet, as was required at the time. All cabinet members were re-elected by acclamation:[4]

* A. Rocke Robertson, Provincial Secretary,[1] acclaimed November 28, 1871
* Henry Holbrook, Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works,[1] acclaimed November 28, 1871
* George A. Walkem, Minister of Finance,[1] acclaimed February 23, 1872
* John Ash, Provincial Secretary,[5] acclaimed January 11, 1873
* Robert Beaven, Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works,[6] acclaimed January 6, 1873
* William Armstrong, Minister of Finance and Agriculture,[7] acclaimed March 21, 1873

By-elections were held to replace members for various other reasons:[4]

Electoral district  | Member elected  | Election date  | Reason

|
|
|

Cariboo | John George Barnston | June 22, 1872  | C. Booth appointed judge
Lillooet | William Saul | December 21, 1872  | Death of A.T. Jamieson in October 1872
Victoria District | William Archibald Robertson | February 26, 1874  | A. Bunster and A. de Cosmos elected to federal seats
William Fraser Tolmie
Lillooet | Thomas Basil Humphreys | November 17, 1874  | both members resigned in a "dispute between the two gentlemen as to which represents the popular feeling of the district"
William M. Brown

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e Kerr, John Blaine (1890). Biographical Dictionary of Well-Known British Columbians with a Historical Sketch. Vancouver: Kerr & Begg. p. 61.
2. ^ Begg, Alexander (1894). History of British Columbia from its Earliest Discovery to the Present Time. Toronto: William Briggs. p. 546.
3. ^ "Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 1872-" (PDF). BC Legislature. Retrieved 2011-07-20.
4. ^ a b Electoral History of British Columbia 1871-1986 (PDF). Elections British Columbia. 1988.
5. ^ Teece, Wendy K. (1982). "Ask, John". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. XI (1881–1890) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
6. ^ Ralston, H. Keith; Foster, Hamar (1998). "Beaven, Robert". In Cook, Ramsay; Hamelin, Jean (eds.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. XIV (1911–1920) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
7. ^ Mackintosh, C. H (1877). The Canadian Parliamentary Companion and Annual Register. Ottawa: Citizen Printing and Publishing Company. p. 375.

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