Columbia (electoral district)

Columbia was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It made its first appearance on the hustings in the election of 1903. It lasted until the 1928 election, after which the revised riding was renamed Columbia River. This riding was later merged with the Revelstoke riding to become Columbia River-Revelstoke, the current riding for the western part of the area. The eastern part of the riding is now part of East Kootenay.

For other current and historical electoral districts in the Kootenay region, please see Kootenay (electoral districts).

Demographics

Population, 1901
Population change, 1901–1911
Area (km²)
Population density (people per km²)

Electoral history

Note: Winners of each election are in bold.

10th British Columbia election, 1903
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
     Liberal Wilmer Cleveland Wells Accl. -.-% unknown
Total valid votes n/a -.-%
Total rejected ballots
Turnout %
11th British Columbia election, 1907
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
     Conservative Henry George Parson 254 56.57% unknown
LiberalWilmer Cleveland Wells 195 43.43% unknown
Total valid votes 449 100.00%
Total rejected ballots
Turnout %
12th British Columbia election, 1909
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
LiberalJohn Andrew Buckham 245 48.32% unknown
     Conservative Henry George Parson 262 51.68% unknown
Total valid votes 507 100.00%
Total rejected ballots
Turnout %
13th British Columbia election, 1912
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Independent ConservativeHarold Ernest Forster1 282 51.74%
     Conservative George Henry Parson 263 48.26%
Total valid votes 545 100.00%
1 When he failed to obtain the official nomination, Forster ran as an Independent Conservative but in full support of the McBride government.
14th British Columbia election, 1916
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
     Liberal John Andrew Buckham 541 66.63% unknown
     Conservative James Norman Taylor 271 33.37% unknown
Total valid votes 812 100.00%
Total rejected ballots
Turnout %
15th British Columbia election, 1920
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
     Liberal John Andrew Buckham 584 60.58% unknown
     Conservative Henry George Parson 380 39.42% unknown
Total valid votes 964 100.00%
Total rejected ballots
Turnout %
16th British Columbia election, 1924
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
     Liberal John Andrew Buckham 644 56.84% unknown
     Conservative Arthur Murray Chisholm 294 25.95% unknown
ProvincialJames Stewart Johnston 195 17.21% unknown
Total valid votes 1,133 100.00%
Total rejected ballots
Turnout %
17th British Columbia election, 1928
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
     Liberal John Andrew Buckham 659 50.23% unknown
     Independent Gladys Elspeth Cross 26 1.98% unknown
     Conservative Earle Jennings Scovil 627 47.79% unknown
Total valid votes 1,312 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 23
Turnout %

After the 1928 election, there was a redistribution. The Columbia riding was merged with the Revelstoke riding into Columbia-Revelstoke, which first appeared only in the 1933 general election. For the 1937 election, the riding name "Columbia" was re-established.

19th British Columbia election, 1937
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
     Conservative Leonard G. Gaddes 371 22.99% unknown
     Liberal Thomas King 921 57.06% unknown
     Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. William Henry Tallis 322 19.95% unknown
Total valid votes 1,614 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 39
Turnout %
20th British Columbia election, 1941
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
     Conservative Leonard G. Gaddes 384 25.28% unknown
     Liberal Thomas King 648 42.66% unknown
     Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. James Herbert Mathews 487 32.06% unknown
Total valid votes 1,519 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 9
Turnout %
20th British Columbia election, 1945
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
     Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. Thomas James Alton 588 46.70% unknown
CoalitionThomas King 671 53.30% unknown
Total valid votes 1,259 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 24
Turnout %
21st British Columbia election, 1949
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
     Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. Thomas James Alton 581 31.09% unknown
CoalitionThomas King 1,288 68.91% unknown
Total valid votes 1,869 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 24
Turnout %
22nd British Columbia election, 1952 2
Party Candidate Votes
1st count
% Votes
final count
% ±%
     Liberal Vaughn Stanley Kimpton 649 29.30% 860 42.28% unknown
     Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. Chris Madson 365 16.48% unknown
     B.C. Social Credit League Richard Orr Newton 841 37.97% 1,174 57.72% unknown
     Progressive Conservative Edward Jefferson Zinkan 360 16.25% unknown
Total valid votes 2,215 100.00% 2,034
Total rejected ballots 101
Turnout %
2 Preferential ballot. First and final counts of three only shown.
23rd British Columbia election, 1953 3
Party Candidate Votes
1st count
% Votes
final count
% ±%
     Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. Eileen Catherine Madson 481 22.26% unknown
     Liberal Henry Headley Moore 676 31.28% 787 43.12% unknown
     B.C. Social Credit League Richard Orr Newton 924 42.76% 1,038 56.88% unknown
     Progressive Conservative Edward Jefferson Zinkan 80 3.70% - -.- % unknown
Total valid votes 2,161 100.00% 1,825
Total rejected ballots 105
Turnout %
3 Preferential ballot. First and final counts of three only shown.
24th British Columbia election, 1956
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
     Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. Chris Madson 248 12.56% unknown
Social CreditRichard Orr Newton 1,074 54.41% unknown
LiberalSamuel Forrest Thompson 652 33.03% unknown
Total valid votes 1,974 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 20
Turnout %
25th British Columbia election, 1960
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
LiberalHerbert Alexander Blakley 593 22.52% unknown
     Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. Robert Beverly Harris 775 29.43% unknown
Social CreditRichard Orr Newton 1,115 42.35% unknown
     Progressive Conservative Gordon Truls Rad 150 5.70% unknown
Total valid votes 2,633 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 88
Turnout %
British Columbia provincial by-election, July 15, 1963
Party Candidate Votes%
Social CreditFrank Greenwood 1,122 36.68%
Progressive ConservativeAlvin Walter John Trott 685 22.39%
LiberalRobert Keenleyside 643 21.02%
NDP-CCFRobert Beverly Harris 609 19.91%
Total valid votes 3,059
Total rejected ballots 13
Called upon the death of R. O. Newton on 14 February 1963.
Source: http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/1871-1986_ElectoralHistoryofBC.pdf
26th British Columbia election, 1963
Party Candidate Votes % ±% Expenditures
Social CreditJames Roland Chabot 1,305 40.08% unknown
     New Democrat Robert Beverly Harris 467 14.34% unknown
LiberalRobert Keenleyside 392 12.04% unknown
     Progressive Conservative Alvin Walter Jo 1,092 33.54% unknown
Total valid votes 3,256 100.00%
Total rejected ballots 41
Turnout %

The riding was redistributed after the 1963 election. In 1966, it was succeeded by the Columbia River riding.

Sources

Elections BC Historical Returns