Hans Lars Helgesen (21 August 1831 – 1 September 1918) was a

Member Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...

of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Canada from 1878 to 1886. He was a local pioneer, farmer, seafarer, prospector and Member of Parliament for

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 Esquim ...

and Cariboo. Born in

Asker Asker ( no, Asker), properly called Askerbygda in Norwegian, is a district and former municipality in Akershus, Norway. From 2020 it is part of the larger administrative municipality Asker, Viken (also known as Greater Asker) in Viken county, ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

in 1831, Helgesen is reckoned to be the first notable

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

immigrant to settle permanently in

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, ...

, arriving from

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to take part in the

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New ...

. During the 1860s he was elected to the colonial assembly . In

1878 Events January–March * January 5 – Russo-Turkish War – Battle of Shipka Pass IV: Russian and Bulgarian forces defeat the Ottoman Empire. * January 9 – Umberto I becomes King of Italy. * January 17 – Bat ...

he was elected to the provincial legislature, representing the riding of Esquimalt. He won his seat again in the general election of 1882 but was defeated in the election of 1886. He ran again in the 1890 British Columbia general election but was again defeated, retiring from politics. With another Norwegian immigrant, Alfred Magnusson, he became successful in the development of the commercial fishery in

Haida Gwaii Haida Gwaii (; hai, X̱aaydag̱a Gwaay.yaay / , literally "Islands of the Haida people") is an archipelago located between off the northern Pacific coast of Canada. The islands are separated from the mainland to the east by the shallow Heca ...

. During the early 1900s Helgesen was employed as a fisheries Guardian for the Upper Skeena area and was instrumental in negotiating the Babine barricade agreement of 1906. He was promoted to Fisheries Overseer for the Lower Skeena area in September 1908 and retired in his eightieth year on December 31, 1910. He died in

Metchosin The District of Metchosin is a municipality and community in Greater Victoria on the southern tip of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It is a coastal community adjacent to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Metchosin is part of the Western ...

, British Columbia in 1918 at the age of 87.

Legacy

Helgesen Point on Pedder Bay near

Metchosin, British Columbia The District of Metchosin is a municipality and community in Greater Victoria on the southern tip of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It is a coastal community adjacent to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Metchosin is part of the Wester ...

is named for Hans Lars Helgesen as is Hans Helgesen Elementary School, located on Rocky Point Road in Metchosin. Hans Lars Helgesen was the great-grandfather of the late George William Morrison Mutter (1912–1992), one-time warden for the Cowichan Valley area (Vancouver Island).

References

Other sources

*''Datum: A Newsletter of the Heritage Conservation Branch"(Ministry of Recreation and Conservation vol.3 no.2 spring 1978)'' Published in Victoria, British Columbia. *''Strangers Entertained: A History of the Ethnic Groups of British Columbia'' (John Norris, Evergreen Press, Vancouver. 1971) *''The First Hundred Years Metchosin Elementary School 1872-1972'' (Marion I. Helegesen

1831 births 1918 deaths People from Asker Immigrants to pre-Confederation Canada Norwegian emigrants Members of the Colonial Assembly of British Columbia Members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia People from Esquimalt, British Columbia Immigrants to pre-Confederation British Columbia {{BritishColumbia-MLA-stub