British Columbia general election, 1871

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Formerly a British colony, British Columbia became a province of Canada on July 20, 1871. An interim Cabinet was appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia, and election writs for the First general election were issued to choose 25 members of the first provincial legislature from 12 ridings (electoral districts). These ridings were:

Contents

[edit] Polling conditions

The election was held from October through December 1871, and was conducted by means of a show of hands on nomination day and, if required, an open poll book on polling day. There were no organized political parties.

[edit] Statistics

  • Votes 3,804
  • Candidates 46
  • Members 25

Vancouver Island

  • Upper Island 310 votes, four seats (77.5 votes/seat)
    • Comox: 24 votes (24 votes/seat)
    • Cowichan: 196 votes (2 seats 98 votes/seat 49 voters/seat)
    • Nanaimo: 90 votes (90 votes/seat)
  • "Greater Victoria" 2,074 votes, eight seats (259.25 votes/seat):
    • Victoria: 377 votes (2 seats 188.5 votes/seat 94.25 voters/seat)
    • Victoria City: 1,515 (4 seats 378.75 votes/seat 169.3525 voters/seat)
    • Esquimalt: 182 (2 seats 91 votes/seat 45.5 voters/seat)

Mainland:

  • Interior 1,907 votes, ten seats (190.7 votes/seat):
    • Cariboo: 785 votes (3 seats 261.67 votes/seat)
    • Kootenay: 39 votes (2 seats 19.5 votes/seat)
    • Lillooet: 102 votes (2 seats 51 votes/seat
    • Yale: 171 votes (3 seats 57 votes/seat)
  • Lower Mainland 686 votes (3 seats 228.67 votes/seat:
    • New Westminster: 323 votes (2 seats 161.5 votes/seat)
    • New Westminster City: unknown at this time (vote was by acclamation)_

Note that these figures refer to votes actually cast, not the population per se nor the total of the potential voters' list.

[edit] Results by Riding

Note: There is no arrangement to the ridings and members, other than by rough alphabetical order, as all were technically independents. Actual seating of the House or political alignments are not represented.


Results of British Columbia general election, 1871
Government Opposition
Member Riding
& party		 Riding
& party		 Member
     Cornelius Booth Cariboo
           Comox
 John Ash     
     Joseph Hunter           Cowichan
 John Paton Booth     
     George Anthony Boomer Walkem1           William Smithe     
     Henry Cogan Esquimalt           Kootenay John Andrew Mara     
     Alexander Rocke Robinson           Charles Todd     
     Thomas Basil Humphreys Lillooet           Nanaimo John Robson     
     Andrew Thomas Jamieson           New Westminster William James Armstrong     
     Henry Holbrook New Westminster City           Josiah Charles Hughes     
     Arthur Bunster Victoria           Victoria City Robert Beaven     
     Amor De Cosmos           Simeon Duck     
     James Robinson Yale           John Foster McCreight2     
     Charles Augustus Semlin           James Trimble     
     Robert Smith     
1 Premier-Elect 2 Incumbent Premier
Source: Elections BC

[edit] Byelections

Two sets of byelections were held to confirm appointments to the Executive Council (cabinet), as was the custom in earlier times. Ministerial candidates in this series of byelections were all confirmed by acclamation (so there were no actual polling dates). These byelections were:

Other byelections were also held due to deaths and other appointments; all were contested:

  • Cariboo - John George Barnston was elected to replace Cornelius Booth who was appointed to be Clerk of the Bench (provincial court) for the district of Kootenay on April 19, 1872
  • Lillooet - William Saul was elected December 21, 1872 to replace Andrew Thomas Jamieson, who had died on October 31, 1872
  • Victoria - November 26, 1874. The byelection was due to resignations February 9 1874 of A. Bunster and Amor De Cosmos upon winning seats in the federal election January 22 1874 (in Vancouver and Victoria federal ridings, respectively). William Archibald Robinson and William Fraser Tolmie won the vacant seats.
  • Lillooet - November 17, 1874. On September 26, 1874, MLAs William Saul and Thomas Basil Humphreys jointly resigned "over a dispute between the two gentlemen as to which represents the popular feeling of the district" (Victoria Colonist September 29, 1874). Humphreys was re-elected and William M. Brown was elected to replace William Saul in a tight three-way race.

[edit] Composition of House at Dissolution

Note: Government/Opposition status applies to candidate at time of election in 1871, not at time of dissolution in 1875.

Composition of 2nd British Columbia Parliament at Dissolution, 1875
Government Opposition
Member Riding
& party		 Riding
& party		 Member
     John George Barnston Cariboo
           Comox
 John Ash     
     Joseph Hunter           Cowichan
 John Paton Booth     
     George Anthony Boomer Walkem           William Smithe     
     Henry Cogan Esquimalt           Kootenay John Andrew Mara     
     Alexander Rocke Robertson           Charles Todd     
     Thomas Basil Humphreys Lillooet           Nanaimo John Robson     
     William M. Brown           New Westminster William James Armstrong     
     Henry Holbrook New Westminster City           Josiah Charles Hughes     
     William Archibald Robertson Victoria           Victoria City Robert Beaven     
     William Fraser Tolmie           Simeon Duck     
     James Robinson Yale           John Foster McCreight     
     Charles Augustus Semlin           James Trimble     
     Robert Smith     
Source: Elections BC


[edit] Further reading & references

  • In the Sea of Sterile Mountains: The Chinese in British Columbia, Joseph Morton, J.J. Douglas, Vancouver (1974). Despite its title, a fairly thorough account of the politicians and electoral politics in early BC.


Preceded by
none		 British Columbia general elections Succeeded by
1875
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