Alexander Edmund Batson Davie, QC, referred to as A. E. B. Davie (November 24, 1847 – August 1, 1889), was the eighth

premier of British Columbia Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

. He served in office from 1887 until his death in 1889.

Called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

in 1873, he was the first person to receive his entire law education in British Columbia. Davie was first elected to the provincial

legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...

in 1875 from the riding of

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 the ...

as independent opposition candidate. He lost his seat in 1877 after a brief stint in the

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

Andrew Charles Elliott Andrew Charles Elliott (June 22, 1829 – April 9, 1889) was a British Columbian politician and jurist. Career Elliott's varied career in British Columbia included gold commissioner, stipendiary magistrate, and, following the union of the Is ...

, as provincial secretary. Davie returned to the legislature in 1882, this time from the riding of Lillooet, and became attorney-general under Premier William Smithe. He went to Ottawa and argued before the

Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, wh ...

in favour of provincial rights pleading that the province had a right to regulate its liquor sales. When Smithe died in 1887, the

lieutenant-governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

asked Davie to become premier but he fell ill within months and left for

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

to recuperate. In his absence, Provincial Secretary John Robson ran the government on a day-to-day basis, though Davie attempted to direct policy in his letters to Robson. He returned in May 1888, but his health was in a poor state, and he ultimately died in office the following August.

Davie Street Davie Village (also known as Davie District or simply Davie Street) is a neighbourhood in the West End of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is the home of the city's LGBT subculture, and, as such, is often considered a gay village, or '' ...

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

is named for him. He was appointed a

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...

in September 1883. His brother, Theodore Davie, later became premier in 1892. Davie was married December 3, 1874, to Constance Langford Skinner of

Maple Bay, British Columbia Maple Bay is a seaside community located in the Cowichan Valley of southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. A narrow inlet and surrounded by smooth, pebbled beaches, Maple Bay is home to marine activity all year round. Maple Bay is a s ...

. They had four children. Alexander Edmund Batson Davie is interred in the

Ross Bay Cemetery Ross Bay Cemetery is located at 1516 Fairfield Road in Victoria, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island, Canada. Many historical figures from the early days of the province and colony of British Columbia are buried at Ross Bay. History The ceme ...

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. Th ...

References

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davie, Alexander Edmund Batson Davie, A. E. B. Davie, A. E. B. Davie, A. E. B. Davie, A. E. B. English emigrants to pre-Confederation British Columbia Davie, A. E. B. People from Wells, Somerset Lawyers in British Columbia Canadian King's Counsel People from Lillooet Burials in British Columbia