James Ford Garden was a Canadian engineer and the seventh Mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of Vancouver, British Columbia, serving from 1898 to 1900. Under his tenure the city developed a street car system, sidewalks, road grades and water connections.

Born in Woodstock, New Brunswick

Woodstock, New Brunswick

Woodstock is a Canadian town in Carleton County, New Brunswick located on the west bank of the Saint John River at the mouth of the Meduxnekeag River, 92 km west of Fredericton and close to the Canada – United States border and Houlton, Maine.- History :Woodstock was settled by Loyalists...

, the son of son of H. M. G. and E. Jane (Gale) Garden, Garden was elected a member of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers in 1894. He was a lieutenant in the Intelligence Corps in the North-West Rebellion

North-West Rebellion

The North-West Rebellion of 1885 was a brief and unsuccessful uprising by the Métis people of the District of Saskatchewan under Louis Riel against the Dominion of Canada...

 in 1875 and was wounded in the Battle of Batoche

Battle of Batoche

The Battle of Batoche was the decisive battle of the North-West Rebellion. Fought from 9 May to 12 May 1885 at the ad hoc Provisional Government of Saskatchewan capital of Batoche, the greater numbers and superior firepower of Middleton's force could not be successfully countered by the Métis ,...

. From 1898 to 1900, he was mayor of Vancouver. He ran unsuccessfully as the Conservative candidate for the Canadian House of Commons

Canadian House of Commons

The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...

 for the electoral district of Burrard

Burrard (electoral district)

Burrard was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1896 to 1904 and from 1917 to 1925. This riding was created in 1892 from parts of New Westminster riding.- Election results :...

 in the 1900 federal election

Canadian federal election, 1900

The Canadian federal election of 1900 was held on November 7 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 9th Parliament of Canada. As a result of the election, the Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier, was re-elected to a second majority government, defeating the...

.

He was elected to the British Columbia Legislative Assembly as a British Columbia Conservative Party

British Columbia Conservative Party

The British Columbia Conservative Party is a political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected as the government in 1903, the party went into decline after 1933...

 MLA for 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....

in 1900 and re-elected in 1903 and 1907.