Legislative Council of British Columbia

The Legislative Council of British Columbia was created in 1867 for the governor of the "new" United Colony of British Columbia (which was the merger of the old colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia). The merged colony had not theretofore had a responsible government, and its executive power was only its governor, who at the time of its Legislative Assembly's founding was Frederick Seymour.

Legislative Council of British Columbia
Type
Type
Unicameral house
of the Governor-in-Council of the Colony of British Columbia
History
Founded1867 (1867)
Disbanded1871 (1871)
Preceded byLegislative Assembly of Vancouver Island
Colonial Assembly of British Columbia
Succeeded byLegislative Assembly of British Columbia
Meeting place
Legislative Hall

There were three groups of members: five senior officials of the colony who constituted its executive council; nine magistrates (some of whom had been elevated to that post to please Whitehall); and nine elected members (who represented two seats in Victoria, one in Greater Victoria or "Victoria District", New Westminster, Columbia River and Kootenay, Nanaimo, Yale and Lytton, Lillooet, and Cariboo).

Initial composition

At the time of the council's creation, its members were:

Executive Council
Name Position First Appointed
Arthur N. Birch Colonial Secretary 1866
H. P. P. Crease Attorney-General 1866
George Phillippo Attorney-General 1870
W. A. G. Young Acting Treasurer 1866
Joseph W. Trutch Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works 1866
Wymond Ogilvy Hamley Collector of Customs 1866
Magistrates
Name Position First Appointed
Thomas L. Wood Acting Solicitor-General 1866
Henry Maynard Ball Magistrate, Cariboo West 1866
Chartres Brew Magistrate, New Westminster 1866
C. F. Cornwall Magistrate, Thompson River District 1866
W. G. Cox Magistrate, Cariboo East 1866
W.J. Macdonald Magistrate, Victoria 1866
C. S. Nicol Magistrate, Nanaimo 1866
Peter O'Reilly Magistrate, Kootenay 1866
E. H. Sanders Magistrate, Yale and Lytton 1866
Elected Members
Name Representation First elected
G. A. Walkem Cariboo 1866
R. T. Smith Columbia River and Kootenay 1866
Edward Stamp Lillooet 1866
J. J. Southgate Nanaimo 1866
John Robson New Westminster 1866
Amor de Cosmos Victoria 1866
J. S. Helmcken 1866
Joseph D. Pemberton 1866
George Wallace Yale and Lytton 1866
F.J. Barnard (1866) 1866
  • Elected members were actually appointed by the governor and not mandated by their election, but appointed "in deference to the wishes of the people". George Wallace, the representative for Yale and Lytton, resigned his seat before the first session and a by-election was held which selected F.J. Barnard as his replacement. All members, including elected ones, had the right to use "the Honourable" before their name.

The council was abolished in 1871 when British Columbia became a province.

See also

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