British Columbia general election, 1898
Encyclopedia
The British Columbia general election of 1898 was the eighth general election for the Province of British Columbia
, Canada
. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
.
in this election — until the 1903 election
, British Columbia politics were officially non-partisan and political parties were not part of the process. This trend began to change in the 1898 and 1900 elections with the appearance of party-designated candidates and some party-declared members; for example, Ralph Smith in South Nanaimo. The political alignments designated at the time of the dropping of the writ did not necessarily have anything to do with the jockeying for power and support once the election returns were in. Therefore, members shown as "Government" or "Opposition" only ran under that slate and had no necessary allegiances or party loyalties to follow. If a new government formed from the "Opposition" slate, as here with Charles Augustus Semlin
, there was nothing to say that someone who'd run under the "Government" banner might not cross the floor either to join the governing caucus, or actually be invited over to take a cabinet position.
In the table below, the seating is only as it was when the House convened. The failure of Semlin's government fell on the shoulders of an over-ambitious Joseph Martin
by early 1900. He held on to power despite a petition from Members of the House to the Lieutenant-Governor, but the L-G continued to support Martin so long as there was no sitting of the House, such that a situation of non-confidence could be proven, even though Martin had only himself and one other member in his caucus. Martin held out for six months, but the inevitable sitting of the House and immediate vote of non-confidence and subsequent election removed him from power and brought in James Dunsmuir
.
It was because of this debacle, born in this election and the ones that preceded it, that party politics was finally introduced to British Columbia for the 1903 election
.
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|align="center"|Charles William Digby Clifford
|align="center" rowspan=2|Cassiar
Government
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|align="center" |Alberni
Opposition
|align="center"|Alan Webster Neill
||
|-
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|align="center"|John Irving
||
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|align="center" rowspan=2|Cariboo
Opposition
|align="center"|Hans Lars Helgesen
||
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|align="center"|James Dunsmuir
|align="center" |Comox
Government
||
||
|align="center"|John Charlton Kinchant
||
|-
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|align="center"|Charles Edward Pooley
|align="center" |Esquimalt
Opposition
||
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|align="center" |Esquimalt
Opposition
|align="center"|David Williams Higgins
||
|-
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|align="center"|William Russell Robertson
|align="center" |Cowichan
Government
||
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|align="center" |Lillooet East
Opposition
|align="center"|James Douglas Prentice
||
|-
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|align="center"|William George Nielson
|align="center" |East Kootenay (north riding)
Government
||
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|align="center" |Nanaimo City
Opposition
|align="center"|Robert Edward McKechnie
||
|-
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|align="center"|James Baker
|align="center" |East Kootenay (south riding)
Government
||
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|align="center" |South Nanaimo
Labour
|align="center"|Ralph Smith
||
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|align="center"|Alfred Wellington Smith
|align="center" |Lillooet West
Government
||
||
|align="center" rowspan=4 |Vancouver City
Opposition
|align="center"|Francis Lovett Carter-Cotton
||
|-
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|align="center"|Alexander Henderson
|align="center" |New Westminster City
Government
||
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|align="center"|Robert Macpherson
||
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|align="center"|John Bryden
|align="center" |North Nanaimo
Government
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|align="center"|Joseph Martin
||
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|align="center"|John Paton Booth
|align="center" |North Victoria
Government
||
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|align="center"|Charles Edward Tisdall
||
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|align="center"|David McEwen Eberts
|align="center" |South Victoria
Government
||
||
|align="center" |West Kootenay-Nelson
Opposition
|align="center"|John Frederick Hume
||
|-
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|align="center"|Richard Hall
|align="center" rowspan=4 |Victoria City
Government
||
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|align="center" |West Kootenay-Revelstoke
Opposition
|align="center"|James M. Kellie
||
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|align="center"|Henry Dallas Helmcken
||
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|align="center" |West Kootenay-Rossland
Opposition
|align="center"|James Morris Martin
||
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|align="center"|Albert Edward McPhillips
||
||
|align="center" |West Kootenay-Slocan
Opposition
|align="center"|Robert Francis Green
||
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|align="center"|John Herbert Turner
1
||
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|align="center" |Westminster-Chilliwhack
Opposition
|align="center"|Charles William Munro
||
|-
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|align="center"|Richard McBride
|align="center" |Westminster-Dewdney
Government
||
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|align="center" |Westminster-Delta
Opposition
|align="center"|Thomas William Forster
||
|-
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|align="center"|Price Ellison
|align="center" |Yale-East
Government
||
||
|align="center" |Westminster-Richmond
Opposition
|align="center"|Thomas Kidd
||
|-
|
|
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|align="center" |Yale-North
Opposition
|align="center"|Francis John Deane
||
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|
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|align="center" |Yale-West
Opposition
|align="center"|Charles Augustus Semlin
2
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|align-left"|1 Incumbent Premier
|
|
|
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|align-left"|2 Premier-Elect
|-
| align="center" colspan="10"|Source: Elections BC
|-
|}
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....
.
Party politics
There were no political partiesPolitical Parties
Political Parties: A Sociological Study of the Oligarchical Tendencies of Modern Democracy is a book by sociologist Robert Michels, published in 1911 , and first introducing the concept of iron law of oligarchy...
in this election — until the 1903 election
British Columbia general election, 1903
The British Columbia general election of 1903 was the tenth general election for the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on September 5, 1903, and held on October 3, 1903...
, British Columbia politics were officially non-partisan and political parties were not part of the process. This trend began to change in the 1898 and 1900 elections with the appearance of party-designated candidates and some party-declared members; for example, Ralph Smith in South Nanaimo. The political alignments designated at the time of the dropping of the writ did not necessarily have anything to do with the jockeying for power and support once the election returns were in. Therefore, members shown as "Government" or "Opposition" only ran under that slate and had no necessary allegiances or party loyalties to follow. If a new government formed from the "Opposition" slate, as here with Charles Augustus Semlin
Charles Augustus Semlin
Charles Augustus Semlin was a British Columbia politician.Born near Barrie, Upper Canada, Semlin worked there as a schoolteacher until 1862 when he moved to British Columbia during the gold rush to become a prospector. In 1869 he purchased the Dominion Ranch and became a rancher...
, there was nothing to say that someone who'd run under the "Government" banner might not cross the floor either to join the governing caucus, or actually be invited over to take a cabinet position.
In the table below, the seating is only as it was when the House convened. The failure of Semlin's government fell on the shoulders of an over-ambitious Joseph Martin
Joseph Martin (Canadian politician)
Joseph Martin was a lawyer and politician in Manitoba, British Columbia and the United Kingdom often referred to as "Fighting Joe".-Early life:...
by early 1900. He held on to power despite a petition from Members of the House to the Lieutenant-Governor, but the L-G continued to support Martin so long as there was no sitting of the House, such that a situation of non-confidence could be proven, even though Martin had only himself and one other member in his caucus. Martin held out for six months, but the inevitable sitting of the House and immediate vote of non-confidence and subsequent election removed him from power and brought in James Dunsmuir
James Dunsmuir
James Dunsmuir was a British Columbian industrialist and politician. Son of Robert Dunsmuir, he was heir to his family's coal fortune. The Dunsmuir family dominated the province's economy in the late nineteenth century and were a leading force in opposing organized labour...
.
It was because of this debacle, born in this election and the ones that preceded it, that party politics was finally introduced to British Columbia for the 1903 election
British Columbia general election, 1903
The British Columbia general election of 1903 was the tenth general election for the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on September 5, 1903, and held on October 3, 1903...
.
Results by riding
|-||
|align="center"|Charles William Digby Clifford
Charles William Digby Clifford
Charles William Digby Clifford was an Irish-born miner, trader, hotel owner and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Cassiar from 1898 to 1903 and Skeena from 1903 to 1907 as a Conservative in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.He was born in Carrick-on-Shannon, County...
|align="center" rowspan=2|Cassiar
Government
||
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|align="center" |Alberni
Alberni (electoral district)
Alberni was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It originally appeared in the British Columbia general election, 1890 and then, after being merged into Cowichan-Alberni for the 1894 election, was renamed Alberni riding in the election of 1898. The riding...
Opposition
|align="center"|Alan Webster Neill
Alan Webster Neill
Alan Webster Neill was a Canadian politician. He was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in 1921 as the Progressive member for Comox—Alberni, British Columbia....
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|align="center"|John Irving
John Irving (steamship captain)
John Irving was a steamship captain in British Columbia, Canada. He began on the Fraser River at the age of 18 and would become one of the most famous and prosperous riverboat captains of the era...
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|align="center" rowspan=2|Cariboo
Cariboo (electoral district)
Cariboo was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1871 to 1892.This riding was first created as Cariboo District following British Columbia's admission into the Canadian Confederation in 1871...
Opposition
|align="center"|Hans Lars Helgesen
Hans Lars Helgesen
Hans Lars Helgesen was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada from 1878 to 1886...
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|-
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|align="center"|James Dunsmuir
James Dunsmuir
James Dunsmuir was a British Columbian industrialist and politician. Son of Robert Dunsmuir, he was heir to his family's coal fortune. The Dunsmuir family dominated the province's economy in the late nineteenth century and were a leading force in opposing organized labour...
|align="center" |Comox
Comox (electoral district)
Comox was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It was one of the first twelve ridings representing that province upon its joining Confederation, and was a one-member constituency...
Government
||
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|align="center"|John Charlton Kinchant
||
|-
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|align="center"|Charles Edward Pooley
Charles Edward Pooley
Charles Edward Pooley was a lawyer and political figure in British Columbia, Canada. He represented Esquimalt in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1882 to 1906 as a Conservative....
|align="center" |Esquimalt
Esquimalt (electoral district)
Esquimalt was a provincial electoral district in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It was one of the province's first twelve ridings upon its entry into Confederation. It was originally a two-member riding...
Opposition
||
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|align="center" |Esquimalt
Esquimalt (electoral district)
Esquimalt was a provincial electoral district in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It was one of the province's first twelve ridings upon its entry into Confederation. It was originally a two-member riding...
Opposition
|align="center"|David Williams Higgins
David Williams Higgins
David Williams Higgins was a Canadian journalist, politician, and author.Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the son of William B. Higgins and Mary Anne Williams, Higgins moved to Brooklyn with his parents and was educated there...
||
|-
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|align="center"|William Russell Robertson
|align="center" |Cowichan
Cowichan (electoral district)
Cowichan was one of the first twelve electoral districts created when British Columbia became a Canadian province in 1871. It was located on southern Vancouver Island. It was a one-member riding only . Its last appearance on the husting was in 1920...
Government
||
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|align="center" |Lillooet East
Lillooet East (electoral district)
Lillooet East was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It was created from the division of the former two-member Lillooet into Lillooet East and Lillooet West, and appeared only in the 1894, 1898, and 1900 elections...
Opposition
|align="center"|James Douglas Prentice
James Douglas Prentice
James Douglas Prentice was a Scottish-born rancher and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Lillooet East in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in 1894 and from 1898 to 1903....
||
|-
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|align="center"|William George Nielson
|align="center" |East Kootenay (north riding)
East Kootenay North
East Kootenay North was an electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia in the 1898 and 1900 elections only. Its official name was East Kootenay . It was created by a partition of the old East Kootenay riding which also created its sibling, East Kootenay...
Government
||
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|align="center" |Nanaimo City
Nanaimo City
Nanaimo City was a provincial electoral district in the city of Nanaimo, British Columbia in Canada from 1890 to 1912. It was one of two Nanaimo ridings at the time, created out of the older Nanaimo riding , with intermediary ridings The Islands and Nanaimo and the Islands...
Opposition
|align="center"|Robert Edward McKechnie
||
|-
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|align="center"|James Baker
James Baker (Canadian politician)
James Baker was an English-born soldier and British Columbia political figure. He represented Kootenay from 1886 to 1890, East Kootenay from 1890 to 1898 and East Kootenay South from 1898 to 1900 in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.He was born in London, the son of Samuel Baker, and...
|align="center" |East Kootenay (south riding)
East Kootenay South
East Kootenay South was an electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia in the 1898 and 1900 elections. Its official name was East Kootenay . It was created by the partition of the old East Kootenay riding which also created its sibling, East Kootenay...
Government
||
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|align="center" |South Nanaimo
Labour
|align="center"|Ralph Smith
||
|-
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|align="center"|Alfred Wellington Smith
Alfred Wellington Smith
Alfred Wellington Smith was an English-born general merchant and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Lillooet from 1889 to 1894 and Lillooet West from 1894 to 1903 in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.He was born in Bedford and educated at the Epworth Normal School...
|align="center" |Lillooet West
Lillooet West (electoral district)
Lillooet West was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It was created from the division of the former two-member Lillooet into Lillooet East and Lillooet West, and appeared only in the 1894, 1898, and 1900 elections...
Government
||
||
|align="center" rowspan=4 |Vancouver City
Vancouver City (electoral district)
Vancouver City was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It was a multiple member riding based in the newly-created city of Vancouver....
Opposition
|align="center"|Francis Lovett Carter-Cotton
Francis Lovett Carter-Cotton
Francis Lovett Carter-Cotton was a Canadian newspaperman, politician, and businessman.Born in Shoreditch , England, the son of Francis Cotton and Martha Ann Garrison, he was the co-owner and editor from 1887 to 1910 of the Vancouver, British Columbia Daily News-Advertiser newspaper...
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|align="center"|Alexander Henderson
Alexander Henderson (politician)
Alexander Henderson was a lawyer, judge and political figure in British Columbia and Yukon. He represented New Westminster City in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1898 to 1900...
|align="center" |New Westminster City
New Westminster City
New Westminster City was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia from 1871 to 1912. For other electoral districts in New Westminster, please see New Westminster .- Demographics :- Electoral history :...
Government
||
||
|align="center"|Robert Macpherson
Robert Macpherson (Canadian politician)
Robert Macpherson was a Scottish-born carpenter, builder and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Vancouver City in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1894 to 1900....
||
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|align="center"|John Bryden
John Bryden (MLA)
John Bryden was a Scottish-born businessman and political figure in British Columbia, Canada. He represented Nanaimo from 1875 to 1876 and North Nanaimo from 1894 to 1900 in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia....
|align="center" |North Nanaimo
Government
||
||
|align="center"|Joseph Martin
Joseph Martin (Canadian politician)
Joseph Martin was a lawyer and politician in Manitoba, British Columbia and the United Kingdom often referred to as "Fighting Joe".-Early life:...
||
|-
||
|align="center"|John Paton Booth
John Paton Booth
John Paton Booth was a Scottish-born political figure in British Columbia. He represented Cowichan from 1871 to 1875, The Islands from 1890 to 1894 and North Victoria from 1894 to 1902 in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.He came to Guelph, Ontario at a young age, was educated in...
|align="center" |North Victoria
North Victoria
North Victoria was the a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It was created from a partition of the old Victoria riding, one of the province's first twelve, and first appeared on the hustings in 1894 as part of a redistribution of the old Victoria riding,...
Government
||
||
|align="center"|Charles Edward Tisdall
Charles Edward Tisdall
Charles Edward Tisdall was the 19th mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia from 1922 to 1923. He was born in Birmingham, England and moved to Vancouver in April 1888. In 1899 he was elected Chairman of the Vancouver Board of Trade....
||
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|align="center"|David McEwen Eberts
David McEwen Eberts
David McEwen Eberts was a lawyer and political figure in British Columbia, Canada. He represented Victoria from 1890 to 1894, South Victoria from 1894 to 1903 and Saanich from 1907 to 1916 in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia as a Conservative.He was born in Chatham, Ontario, the son of...
|align="center" |South Victoria
South Victoria
South Victoria was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It first appeared on the hustings in 1894 as part of a redistribution of the old Victoria riding, along with North Victoria...
Government
||
||
|align="center" |West Kootenay-Nelson
West Kootenay-Nelson
West Kootenay-Nelson was an electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia from 1898 to 1903.For other ridings named Kootenay or in the Kootenay region, please see Kootenay .- Demographics :- Election results :...
Opposition
|align="center"|John Frederick Hume
John Frederick Hume
John Frederick Hume was a miner, notary public and political figure in British Columbia. He represented West Kootenay South in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1894 to 1898....
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|align="center"|Richard Hall
Richard Hall (politician)
Richard Hall was an American-born insurance agent, wholesale coal merchant and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Victoria City in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1898 to 1907 as a Liberal.He was born in San Francisco, the son of Richard Hall and Sarah...
|align="center" rowspan=4 |Victoria City
Victoria City (provincial electoral district)
Victoria City was one of the first twelve provincial electoral districts in the province of British Columbia, Canada, upon its entry into Confederation that year. It was originally a four-member riding, and elected to the Legislature several prominent Members of the Legislative Assembly and...
Government
||
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|align="center" |West Kootenay-Revelstoke
West Kootenay-Revelstoke
West Kootenay-Revelstoke was an electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia from 1898 to 1903.- Demographics :- References :*...
Opposition
|align="center"|James M. Kellie
James M. Kellie
James M. "Pothole" Kellie was a miner and political figure in British Columbia. He represented West Kootenay from 1890 to 1894, West Kootenay North from 1894 to 1898 and West Kootenay-Revelstoke from 1898 to 1899 in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.He was born in Cobourg, Ontario; his...
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|align="center"|Henry Dallas Helmcken
Henry Dallas Helmcken
Henry Dallas "Harry" Helmcken was a lawyer and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Victoria City in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1894 to 1903....
||
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|align="center" |West Kootenay-Rossland
West Kootenay-Rossland
West Kootenay-Rossland was an electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia from 1898 to 1903.- Demographics :- References :*...
Opposition
|align="center"|James Morris Martin
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|-
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|align="center"|Albert Edward McPhillips
Albert Edward McPhillips
-Early years:He was the son of George McPhillips and Margaret Lavin, both of whom were Irish and he was the youngest of six boys His father and three brothers were land surveyor's. His brother, George McPhillips Jr...
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|align="center" |West Kootenay-Slocan
West Kootenay-Slocan
West Kootenay-Slocan was an electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia from 1898 to 1903.- Demographics :-References:*...
Opposition
|align="center"|Robert Francis Green
Robert Francis Green
Robert Francis Green was a Canadian businessman and Conservative politician, born in Peterborough, Canada West. From 1893 to 1897, Green served three terms as mayor of Kaslo, British Columbia. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1898 to 1907, representing the...
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|align="center"|John Herbert Turner
John Herbert Turner
John Herbert Turner was a British Columbia politician. Born in Claydon, Suffolk, England, Turner moved to British North America and worked as a merchant in Halifax and Charlottetown. In 1862 he moved to Victoria, British Columbia and founded Turner, Beeton and Co...
1
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|align="center" |Westminster-Chilliwhack
Westminster-Chilliwhack
Westminster-Chilliwhack was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia from 1894 to 1898. It and its sister ridings Westminster-Delta, Westminster-Dewdney and Westminster-Richmond were successors to the old four-member Westminster riding, which appeared in 1890...
Opposition
|align="center"|Charles William Munro
Charles William Munro
Charles William Munro was a political figure in British Columbia. He represented Westminster-Chilliwhack from 1898 to 1903 and Chilliwhack from 1903 to 1909 as a Liberal....
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|align="center"|Richard McBride
Richard McBride
Sir Richard McBride, KCMG was a British Columbian politician and is often considered the founder of the British Columbia Conservative Party. McBride was first elected to the provincial legislature in the 1898 election, and served in the cabinet of James Dunsmuir from 1900 to 1901...
|align="center" |Westminster-Dewdney
Westminster-Dewdney
Westminster-Dewdney was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia from 1894 to 1898. It and its sister ridings Westminster-Delta, Westminster-Chilliwhack and Westminster-Richmond were successors to the old four-member Westminster riding, which appeared in 1890...
Government
||
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|align="center" |Westminster-Delta
Westminster-Delta
Westminster-Delta was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia from 1894 to 1898. It and its sister ridings Westminster-Chilliwhack, Westminster-Dewdney and Westminster-Richmond were successors to the four-member Westminster riding, which appeared in 1890 only...
Opposition
|align="center"|Thomas William Forster
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|-
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|align="center"|Price Ellison
Price Ellison
Price Ellison was an English-born blacksmith, farmer, rancher and political figure in British Columbia...
|align="center" |Yale-East
Yale-East
Yale-East was a provincial electoral district in the British Columbia legislature that appeared only in the 1894, 1898 and 1900 elections. It and its sister ridings Yale-West and Yale-North were created from the older three-member Yale , which was one of the province's first twelve ridings as of...
Government
||
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|align="center" |Westminster-Richmond
Westminster-Richmond
Westminster-Richmond was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia from 1894 to 1898. It and its sister ridings Westminster-Delta, Westminster-Dewdney and Westminster-Chilliwhack were successors to the old four-member Westminster riding, which appeared in 1890...
Opposition
|align="center"|Thomas Kidd
Thomas Kidd (British Columbia politician)
Thomas Kidd was an Irish-born farmer and political figure in British Columbia, Canada. He represented Westminster-Richmond in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1894 to 1902....
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|align="center" |Yale-North
Yale-North
Yale-North was a provincial electoral district in the British Columbia legislature that appeared only in the 1894, 1898 and 1900 elections. It and its sister ridings Yale-West and Yale-East were created from the older three-member Yale , which was one of the province's first twelve ridings as of...
Opposition
|align="center"|Francis John Deane
Francis John Deane
Francis John Deane was a newspaper publisher and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Yale-North in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1898 to 1900....
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|align="center" |Yale-West
Yale-West
Yale-West was a provincial electoral district in the British Columbia legislature that appeared only in the 1894, 1898 and 1900 elections. It and its sister ridings Yale-West and Yale-East were created from the older three-member Yale riding, which was one of the province's first twelve as of 1871...
Opposition
|align="center"|Charles Augustus Semlin
Charles Augustus Semlin
Charles Augustus Semlin was a British Columbia politician.Born near Barrie, Upper Canada, Semlin worked there as a schoolteacher until 1862 when he moved to British Columbia during the gold rush to become a prospector. In 1869 he purchased the Dominion Ranch and became a rancher...
2
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|-
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|align-left"|1 Incumbent Premier
|
|
|
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|align-left"|2 Premier-Elect
|-
| align="center" colspan="10"|Source: Elections BC
|-
|}