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Home > William Smithe

 
William Smithe (1842-1887) was a British Columbia politician. Smithe was born in England but moved to Canada in his youth and settled on Vancouver Island in 1862 as a farmer. In 1871 he ran in BC's first election and won a seat in the new provincial legislature. By 1875 he became the informal leader of the opposition to Premier George Anthony Walkem's government but yielded the leadership to Andrew Charles Elliott. Smithe was in Elliott's short lived cabinet from 1876 to 1878 before returning to the opposition benches and again became opposition leader.

In 1883, Smithe became premier of the province and initiated the Great Potlatch era in which governments made generous grants of public resources and land to private entrepreneurs. He also settled disputes with the federal government which had stalled the construction of the trans-continental Canadian Pacific Railway. He remained premier until he died in office in 1887.


Preceded by:
Robert Beaven
1882-1883		 Premier of British ColumbiaThis is a list of the premiers of British Columbia, Canada, since it joined Confederation in 1871. Note that party politics were not introduced until 1903. Premier FromToParty John Foster McCreight 1871- 11-13 1872- 12-23 Non-party Amor De Cosmos 1872- 12
1883-1887		 Succeeded by:
Alexander Edmund Batson DavieAlexander Edmund Batson Davie who is usually referred to as A. Davie ( 1847 August 1, 1889) was a British Columbia politician and lawyer, and was premier of British Columbia from 1887 until his death. Called to the bar in 1873 he was the first person to r
1887-1889
Smithe, William Smithe, William Smithe, William

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