David William Gordon (February 27, 1832 – February 19, 1893) was a Canadian politician from

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. Gordon was born in Camden Township,

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...

, the son of Michael Gordon. He went to

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 ...

in 1856 and then moved to the

Colony of Vancouver Island The Colony of Vancouver Island, officially known as the Island of Vancouver and its Dependencies, was a Crown colony of British North America from 1849 to 1866, after which it was united with the mainland to form the Colony of British Columbia. ...

in 1858, where he established himself as a professional architect and builder in

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

. Gordon was a prominent citizen and one of the wealthiest men in the city. He ran as an unaffiliated candidate in the 1875 provincial election, losing a close race to John Bryden, an "opposition" candidate. Gordon was later successful in an 1877

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

called because of Bryden’s resignation. He served as "government" member, supporting Premier

George Anthony Walkem George Anthony "Boomer" Walkem (November 15, 1834 – January 13, 1908) was a British Columbian politician and jurist. Life and career Born in Newry, Ireland, Walkem moved to then Colony of British Columbia in 1862 and served as a member ...

. He was unable to retain the seat in the following general election. Gordon ran as a

Liberal-Conservative Liberal conservatism is a political ideology combining conservative policies with liberal stances, especially on economic issues but also on social and ethical matters, representing a brand of political conservatism strongly influenced by libe ...

candidate in the federal election just two months following his provincial defeat in 1878. He was unable to unseat incumbent

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

Arthur Bunster Arthur Bunster (1827 – October 8, 1891) was a Canadian entrepreneur and Member of Parliament. Bunster was born in Queen's County (now Laois), Ireland and was educated in Dublin, attending Trinity College. He came to Vancouver Island in 185 ...

in the Vancouver (Island) district. Gordon was not deterred and later defeated Bunster by a wide margin in the following election, in 1882. He was re-elected over a

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 i ...

opponent 1887 and acclaimed in 1891. Gordon died in office in 1893. Gordon was married twice: to Emma Elizabeth Robb in 1864 and to Statira Catherine Shepard in 1886.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, David William Members of the House of Commons of Canada from British Columbia Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs 1832 births 1893 deaths Colony of Vancouver Island people