The Legislative Council of British Columbia was created in 1867 for the governor of the new Colony of British Columbia (which was the merger of the colony of Vancouver Island and the former colony of 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.

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 CouncilNamePositionFirst appointedTerm numberArthur N. Birch Colonial Secretary1866 1H. P. P. Crease Attorney-General1866 1George PhillippoAttorney-General1870 1W. A. G. Young Acting Treasurer1866 1Joseph W. Trutch Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works1866 1Wymond Ogilvy Hamley Collector of Customs1866 1MagistratesNamePositionFirst appointedTerm numberThomas L. WoodActing Solicitor-General1866 1Henry Maynard BallMagistrate, Cariboo West1866 1Chartres BrewMagistrate, New Westminster1866 1C. F. CornwallMagistrate, Thompson River District1866 1W. G. CoxMagistrate, Cariboo East1866 1W.J. MacdonaldMagistrate, Victoria1866 1C. S. NicolMagistrate, Nanaimo1866 1Peter O'ReillyMagistrate, Kootenay1866 1E. H. SandersMagistrate, Yale and Lytton1866 1Elected MembersNameRepresentationFirst electedTerm numberG. A. WalkemCariboo1866 1R. T. SmithColumbia River and Kootenay 1866 1Edward StampLillooet1866 1J. J. SouthgateNanaimo1866 1John RobsonNew Westminster1866 1Amor de CosmosVictoria1866 1J. S. Helmcken1866 1Joseph D. Pemberton1866 1George WallaceYale and Lytton1866 1F.J. Barnard (1866)1866 1

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

Colony of British Columbia (1866–1871) Executive Council of British Columbia Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

References

British Columbia Chronicle 1847-1871: Gold and Colonists by G.P.V. Akrigg and Helen B. Akrigg, Discovery Press, Vancouver, 1977 (pp. 340–341)