Victoria District
Encyclopedia
Victoria District was a federal electoral district
in British Columbia
, Canada
, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons
from 1871 to 1872.
riding. As there was no general federal election including the new BC seats until 1872, the original Members of Parliament (MPs) from BC were elected in a special byelection held on 20 September 1871.
.
One was Premier
Amor De Cosmos
, who held the seat and its successor for three elected terms as of the 1872 general election. During his first term, he retained his office as Premier, and during the last, shared the seat with Prime Minister
John A. Macdonald
.
The other member was Henry Nathan, Jr.
, a local businessman and the first MP of Jewish heritage.
|Liberal
|Amor De Cosmos
2
|align="right"|Accl.
|align="right"| - %
|align="right"|
|align="right"|
|Liberal
|Henry Nathan, Jr.
|align="right"|Accl.
|align="right"| - %
|align="right"|
|align="right"|
|- bgcolor="white"
!align="right" colspan=7| 2 2nd Premier of British Columbia
|}
For the 1872 general election, the Victoria District riding was replaced by Victoria
riding. This was also the case with the similarly-temporary Cariboo District
, Yale District
, New Westminster District
, which were abolished and replaced by ridings without the "District" appellation.
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
in British Columbia
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...
, that was represented in 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...
from 1871 to 1872.
History
It was created at the time of that province's entry into Confederation in 1871. It was composed of all of the Victoria, Esquimalt and Saanich districts as defined at the time. In 1872, it was abolished, and replaced by VictoriaVictoria (electoral district)
Victoria is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1872 to 1904 and since 1925....
riding. As there was no general federal election including the new BC seats until 1872, the original Members of Parliament (MPs) from BC were elected in a special byelection held on 20 September 1871.
Members of Parliament
In Victoria District, there were only two candidates for the two-seat riding, so both members entered the House of Commons by acclamationAcclamation
An acclamation, in its most common sense, is a form of election that does not use a ballot. "Acclamation" or "acclamatio" can also signify a kind of ritual greeting and expression of approval in certain social contexts in ancient Rome.-Voting:...
.
One was Premier
Premier of British Columbia
The Premier of British Columbia is the first minister, head of government, and de facto chief executive for the Canadian province of British Columbia. Until the early 1970s the title Prime Minister of British Columbia was often used...
Amor De Cosmos
Amor De Cosmos
Amor De Cosmos was a Canadian journalist, publisher and politician. He served as the second Premier of British Columbia.-Early life:...
, who held the seat and its successor for three elected terms as of the 1872 general election. During his first term, he retained his office as Premier, and during the last, shared the seat with Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
John A. Macdonald
John A. Macdonald
Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC , QC was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century...
.
The other member was Henry Nathan, Jr.
Henry Nathan, Jr.
Henry Nathan, Jr. was the first Jewish Canadian to be elected to the House of Commons. Born in London, England, Nathan was one of two MPs elected to represent the British Columbia riding of Victoria in the Canadian general election of 1872...
, a local businessman and the first MP of Jewish heritage.
Election results
|-|Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
|Amor De Cosmos
Amor De Cosmos
Amor De Cosmos was a Canadian journalist, publisher and politician. He served as the second Premier of British Columbia.-Early life:...
2
|align="right"|Accl.
|align="right"| - %
|align="right"|
|align="right"|
|Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
|Henry Nathan, Jr.
Henry Nathan, Jr.
Henry Nathan, Jr. was the first Jewish Canadian to be elected to the House of Commons. Born in London, England, Nathan was one of two MPs elected to represent the British Columbia riding of Victoria in the Canadian general election of 1872...
|align="right"|Accl.
|align="right"| - %
|align="right"|
|align="right"|
|- bgcolor="white"
!align="right" colspan=7| 2 2nd Premier of British Columbia
Premier of British Columbia
The Premier of British Columbia is the first minister, head of government, and de facto chief executive for the Canadian province of British Columbia. Until the early 1970s the title Prime Minister of British Columbia was often used...
|}
For the 1872 general election, the Victoria District riding was replaced by Victoria
Victoria (electoral district)
Victoria is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1872 to 1904 and since 1925....
riding. This was also the case with the similarly-temporary Cariboo District
Cariboo District
Cariboo District was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1871 to 1872....
, Yale District
Yale District
Yale District was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1871 to 1872. The riding was created for a special byelection in 1871 and only used that once - and then only as an acclamation...
, New Westminster District
New Westminster District
New Westminster District was a Canadian federal electoral district created when the province of British Columbia joined Confederation in 1871. Like other ridings established in that year, a byelection was called to fill the seat until the general election of 1872...
, which were abolished and replaced by ridings without the "District" appellation.
See also
- List of Canadian federal electoral districts
- Past Canadian electoral districts
External links
- Riding history from the Library of ParliamentLibrary of ParliamentThe Library of Parliament is the main information repository and research resource for the Parliament of Canada...