List of premiers of British Columbia

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This is a list of the premiers of British Columbia, Canada, since it joined Confederation in 1871.

This is a list of the premiers of the province of British Columbia, Canada, since it joined Confederation in 1871. British Columbia uses a unicameral Westminster-style parliamentary government, in which the premier is the leader of the party that controls the most seats in the Legislative Assembly. The premier, sometimes called the prime minister, acts as British Columbia's head of government, while the Queen of Canada acts as its head of state and is represented by the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. The premier picks a cabinet from the elected members to form the Executive Council of British Columbia, and presides over that body.

Members are first elected to the legislature during general elections. General elections must be conducted every four years from the date of the last election. An election may also happen if the Governing party loses the confidence of the legislature, by the defeat of a supply bill or tabling of a confidence motion.

This article only covers the time since British Columbia joined the Canadian Confederation was in 1871. Prior to that it was a British colony governed by the Governors of British Columbia. Until 1903, British Columbia did not use a party system.

Colour Key
Non-partisan
British Columbia Conservative Party British Columbia Liberal Party
British Columbia Social Credit Party New Democratic Party of British Columbia
Premiers of British Columbia since 1867
Premier
(party)
Period Assem-
blies
Elections (Riding)
1st John Foster McCreight
(Non-partisan)
1871-11-13
1872-12-23
...
1st
...
Designated Nov. 13, 1871
Elected Oct. to Dec. 1871
Resigned Dec. 23, 1872
2nd Amor De Cosmos
(Non-partisan)
1872-12-23
1874-02-11
...
...
Designated Dec. 23, 1872
Resigned Feb. 11, 1874
3rd George Anthony Walkem
(Non-partisan)
(1st time of 2)
1874-02-11
1876-02-01
...
2nd
...
Designated Feb. 11, 1874
Re-elected during 1875
Resigned (non-confidence) Feb. 1, 1876
4th Andrew Charles Elliott
(Non-partisan)
1876-02-01
1878-06-25
... Designated Feb. 1, 1876
- George Anthony Walkem
(Non-partisan)
(1st time of 2)
1878-06-25
1882-06-13
3rd Elected during 1878
5th Robert Beaven
(Non-partisan)
1882-06-13
1883-01-29
4th
...
Elected during 1882
Resigned (non-confidence) Jan. 29, 1883
6th William Smithe
(Non-partisan)
1883-01-29
1887-03-29
...
5th
...
Designated Jan. 29, 1883
Re-elected during 1886
Died in office Mar. 29, 1887
7th Alexander Edmund Batson Davie
(Non-partisan)
1887-03-29
1889-08-01
...
...
Designated Mar. 29, 1887
Died in office Aug. 1, 1889
8th John Robson
(Non-partisan)
1889-08-02
1892-06-29
...
6th
...
Designated Aug. 2, 1889
Re-elected during 1890
Died in office Jun. 29, 1892
9th Theodore Davie
(Non-partisan)
1892-07-02
1895-03-04
...
7th
...
Designated Jul. 2, 1892
Re-elected in 1894
Resigned (moved to court) Mar. 4, 1895
10th John Herbert Turner
(Non-partisan)
1895-03-04
1898-08-15
... Designated Mar. 4, 1895
11th Charles Augustus Semlin
(Non-partisan)
1898-08-15
1900-02-28
8th
...
Elected during 1989
Resigned Feb. 28, 1900
12th Joseph Martin
(Non-partisan)
1900-02-28
1900-06-15
... Designated Feb. 28, 1900
13th James Dunsmuir
(Non-partisan)
1900-06-15
1902-11-21
9th
...
Elected Jun. 9, 1900
Resigned (retired) Nov. 21, 1902
14th Edward Gawler Prior
(Non-partisan)
1902-11-21
1903-06-01
...
...
Designated Nov. 21, 1902
Resigned (scandal) Jun. 1, 1903
15th Richard McBride
(Conservative)
1903-06-01
1915-12-15
...
10th
11th
12th
13th
...
Designated Jun. 1, 1903
Re-elected Oct. 3, 1903
Re-elected Feb. 2, 1907
Re-elected Nov. 25, 1909
Re-elected Mar. 28, 1912
Resigned (took new job) Dec. 15, 1915
16th William John Bowser
(Conservative)
1915-12-15
1916-11-23
... Designated Dec. 15, 1915
17th Harlan Carey Brewster
(Liberal)
1916-11-23
1918-03-01
14th
...
Elected Sep. 14, 1916
Died in office Mar. 1, 1918
18th John Oliver
(Liberal)
1918-03-06
1927-08-17
...
15th
16th
...
Designated Mar. 6, 1918
Re-elected Dec. 1, 1920
Re-elected (Minority) Jun. 20, 1924
Died in office Aug. 17, 1927
19th John Duncan MacLean
(Liberal)
1927-08-20
1928-08-21
... Designated Aug. 20, 1927
20th Simon Fraser Tolmie
(Conservative)
1928-08-21
1933-11-15
17th Elected Jul. 18, 1928
21st Thomas Dufferin Pattullo
(Liberal)
1933-11-15
1941-12-09
18th
19th
20th
...
Elected Nov. 2, 1933
Re-elected Jun. 1, 1937
Re-elected (Minority) Oct. 21, 1941
Resigned (protest) Dec. 9, 1941
22nd John Hart
(Liberal)[1]
1941-12-09
1947-12-29
...
21st
...
Designated (Coalition) Dec. 9, 1941
Re-elected (Coalition) Oct. 25, 1945
Resigned (retired) Dec. 29, 1947
23rd Byron Ingemar Johnson
(Liberal)[1]
1947-12-29
1952-08-01
...
22nd
Designated (Coalition) Dec. 29, 1947
Re-elected (Coalition) Jun. 15, 1949
24th William Andrew Cecil Bennett
(Social Credit)
1952-08-01
1972-09-15
23rd
24th
25th
26th
27th
28th
29th
Elected (Minority) Jun. 12, 1952
Re-elected Jun. 9, 1953
Re-elected Sep. 19, 1956
Re-elected Sep. 12, 1960
Re-elected Sep. 30, 1963
Re-elected Sep. 12, 1966
Re-elected Aug. 27, 1969
25th David Barrett
(NDP)
1972-09-15
1975-12-22
30th Elected Aug. 30, 1972
26th William Richards Bennett
(Social Credit)
1975-12-22
1986-08-06
31st
32nd
33rd
...
Elected Dec. 11, 1975
Re-elected May 10, 1979
Re-elected May 5, 1983
Resigned (retired) Aug. 6, 1986
27th William N.T.M. Vander Zalm
(Social Credit)
1986-08-06
1991-04-02
...
34th
...
Designated Aug. 6, 1986
Re-elected Oct. 22, 1986
Resigned (scandal) Apl. 2, 1991
28th Rita Margaret Johnston
(Social Credit)
1991-04-02
1991-11-05
... Designated Apl. 2, 1991
29th Michael Franklin Harcourt
(NDP)
1991-11-05
1996-02-22
35th
...
Elected Oct. 17, 1991
Resigned (bingogate scandal) Feb. 22, 1996
30th Glen David Clark
(NDP)
1996-02-22
1999-08-25
...
36th
...
Designated Feb. 22, 1996
Re-elected May 28, 1996
Resigned (Fast Ferry scandal) Aug. 25, 1999
31st Arthur Daniel Miller
(NDP)
1999-08-25
2000-02-24
...
...
Designated Aug. 29, 1999
Resigned (interim leadership ended) Feb. 24, 2000
32nd Ujjal Singh Dosanjh
(NDP)
2000-02-24
2001-06-05
... Designated Feb. 24, 2000 (Vancouver-Kensington)
33rd Gordon Muir Campbell
(Liberal)
2001-06-05
Incumbent
37th
38th
Elected May 16, 2001 (Vancouver-Point Grey)
Re-elected May 17, 2005 (Vancouver-Point Grey)
  1. ^ a b Hart's and Johnson's premierships were under coalition governments of the Liberals and Conservatives.

[edit] See also