The 1890 British Columbia general election was held in 1890. The number of members was increased for this election from 27 in the previous election to 33, although the number of ridings was decreased to 18.

Political context

Issues and debates

Non-party system

There were to be no political parties in the new province. The designations "Government" and "Opposition" and "Independent" (and variations on these) functioned in place of parties, but they were very loose and do not represent formal coalitions, more alignments of support during the campaign. "Government" meant in support of the current Premier; "Opposition" meant campaigning against him, and often enough the Opposition would win and immediately become the Government. Although Labour as a party had run candidates in previous election, this election saw the first victories by Labour candidates (in Nanaimo and Nanaimo City), and a "Farmer" candidate (in the second Nanaimo seat). There were five successful independents.

The Robson Government

The government of newspaperman John Robson received a mandate after assuming power the year before. Robson died in office in 1892, yielding to

Theodore Davie Theodore Davie (March 22, 1852 in Brixton, London – March 7, 1898 in Victoria, British Columbia) was a British Columbia lawyer, politician, and jurist. He practised law in Cassiar and Nanaimo before settling in Victoria and becoming a leading ...

Byelections not shown

Any changes due to byelections are shown below the main table showing the theoretical composition of the House after the election. A final table showing the composition of the House at the dissolution of the Legislature at the end of this Parliament can be found below the byelections. The main table represents the immediate results of the election only, not changes in governing coalitions or eventual changes due to byelections.

List of ridings

The original ridings were thirteen in number, and Cowichan was restored to a two-member seat while New Westminster was increased to three, with the new total being 33 members. There were no political parties were not acceptable in the House by convention, though some members were openly partisan at the federal level (usually

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

, although both Liberal and Labour allegiance were on display by some candidates). These ridings were: * Alberni *

Cariboo The Cariboo is an intermontane region of British Columbia, Canada, centered on a plateau stretching from Fraser Canyon to the Cariboo Mountains. The name is a reference to the caribou that were once abundant in the region. The Cariboo was t ...

(three members) * Cassiar * Comox * Cowichan (two members) *

East Kootenay The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) is a regional district in the Canadian province of British Columbia, Canada. In the 2016 census, the population was 60,439. Its area is . The regional district offices are in Cranbrook, the larges ...

Esquimalt The Township of Esquimalt is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the east by the provincial capital, Victoria, to the south by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, to the west by Esqui ...

(two members) * The Islands (formerly part of

Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. As of the 2021 census, it had a population of 99,863, and it is known as "The Harbour City." The city was previously known as the "Hub City," which was ...

Lillooet Lillooet () is a district municipality in the Squamish-Lillooet region of southwestern British Columbia. The town is on the west shore of the Fraser River immediately north of the Seton River mouth. On BC Highway 99, the locality is by road abo ...

(two members) *

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 (1871 to 1928), with intermediary ridi ...

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 (electoral districts). Demographics Politica ...

Vancouver City Vancouver City was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1904 to 1917. This riding was created in 1903 from parts of Burrard riding. It was abolished in 1914 wh ...

(two members) *

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

(two members) *

Victoria City Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychell ...

(four members) *

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

(three members, formerly

New Westminster New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the capi ...

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

(three members)

Polling conditions

Natives (First Nations) and Chinese were disallowed from voting, although naturalized Kanakas (Hawaiian colonists) and American and West Indian blacks and certain others participated. The requirement that knowledge of English be spoken for balloting was discussed but not applied.

Results by riding

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Independent , align="center" rowspan=2 , George Cowan , rowspan=2, , - , , , align="center", Joseph Mason , align="center" rowspan=3 ,

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David Williams Higgins David Williams Higgins (30 November 1834 – 30 November 1917) was a Canadian newspaperman, politician, and author. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the son of William B. Higgins and Mary Anne Williams, Higgins moved to Brooklyn with his par ...

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Samuel Augustus Rogers Samuel Augustus Rogers (February 1840 – June 4, 1911) was an Irish-born merchant and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Cariboo from 1890 to 1898 and from 1900 to 1903 in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. Bo ...

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Robert Hanley Hall Robert Hanley Hall (25 April 1850 – 12 December 1924) was an Irish-born fur trader and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Cassiar in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1890 to 1894. He was born in Derry, ...

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David Alexander Stoddart David Alexander Stoddart (September 6, 1857 – October 12, 1942) was a businessman and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Lillooet from 1890 to 1894, Lillooet East from 1895 to 1900 and Cariboo from 1924 to 1928 in the Leg ...

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Government , , , , , align="center", James Orr , , , - , , , align="center",

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Independent , align="center", John Cunningham Brown , , , - , , , align="center",

James Baker James Addison Baker III (born April 28, 1930) is an American attorney, diplomat and statesman. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 10th White House Chief of Staff and 67th United States Secretary of the Treasury under President ...

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Opposition
Independent , align="center",

Francis Lovett Carter-Cotton Francis Lovett Carter-Cotton (October 11, 1843 – November 20, 1919) was a Canadian newspaperman, politician, and businessman. He served as a BC MLA from 1890 to 1900 and from 1903 to 1916. Born in Shoreditch (London), England, the son of ...

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Alfred Wellington Smith Alfred Wellington Smith (born February 14, 1850 - ?) 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 Brit ...

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Government , , , , , align="center", James Welton Horne , , , - , , , align="center",

George William Anderson George William Anderson (1791 – 12 March 1857) was the officiating governor of Bombay during the British Raj from 28 April 1841 to 9 June 1842. Anderson entered the Bombay Civil Service in 1806. He was responsible for drawing up the Bombay Ci ...

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Opposition , align="center",

Robert Beaven Robert Beaven (January 20, 1836 – September 18, 1920), son of James Beaven, was a British Columbia politician and businessman. Beaven moved to British Columbia from Toronto, where he had been educated at Upper Canada College, because of ...

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David McEwen Eberts David McEwen Eberts (April 22, 1850 – May 20, 1924) 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 Legisla ...

, , , , , align="center", John Grant , , , - , , , align="center",

John Herbert Turner John Herbert Turner (May 7, 1834 – December 9, 1923) 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 V ...

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Gov , , , , , align="center", George Lawson Milne , , , - , , , align="center", John Robson , align="center" ,

Gov , , , , , align="center" ,

Opposition , align="center",

Charles Augustus Semlin Charles Augustus "Charlie" Semlin (December 4, 1836 – November 2, 1927) was a Canadian politician and rancher. Born near Barrie, Upper Canada, Semlin worked there as a schoolteacher until 1862 when he moved to British Columbia during the g ...

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George Bohun Martin George Bohun Martin (December 25, 1842 – August 29, 1933) was an English-born farmer, rancher and political figure in British Columbia, Canada. He represented Yale from 1882 to 1894 and Yale-North from 1894 to 1898 in the Legislative Assem ...

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Government , , , , , align="center" rowspan=2 ,

Labour
Farmer , align="center", Thomas William Forster , , , - , , , align="center",

Forbes George Vernon Forbes George Vernon (21 August 1843 – 20 January 1911), Lieutenant (ret.) British Army, was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Canadian province of British Columbia from 1875 to 1882, and from 1886 to 1894, representing the ri ...

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Labour , align="center", Thomas Keith , , , - , , , , , , , align="center" ,

West Kootenay The Kootenays or Kootenay ( ) is a region of southeastern British Columbia. It takes its name from the Kootenay River, which in turn was named for the Kutenai First Nations people. Boundaries The Kootenays are more or less defined by the Kootenay ...

Independent , align="center", James M. Kellie , , , - , , , , , , , align="center" rowspan=2 ,

Opposition
Independent , align="center", James Punch , , , - , , , , , , , align="center", Thomas Edwin Kitchen , , , - , , - , , align-left", ¹ Premier-Elect and Incumbent Premier , - , align="center" colspan="10", Source:''
Elections BC
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Political context

Issues and debates

Non-party system

The Robson Government

Byelections not shown

List of ridings

Polling conditions

Results by riding

See also

Further reading & references