James Dunsmuir (Canadian Politician)
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James Dunsmuir (July 8, 1851 – June 6, 1920) was a
Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
industrialist and politician 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, ...
. He served as the 14th
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 ...
from 1900 to 1902 and the eighth lieutenant governor of British Columbia from 1906 to 1909.


Early life and business career

Son of Robert Dunsmuir, he was heir to his family's coal fortune. The Dunsmuir family dominated the province's economy in the late nineteenth century and was a leading force in opposing
organized labour The labour movement or labor movement consists of two main wings: the trade union movement (British English) or labor union movement (American English) on the one hand, and the political labour movement on the other. * The trade union movement ...
. Dunsmuir managed his family's coal business from 1876 until 1910, increasing profits and violently putting down efforts to unionize. In 1905, he sold his Esquimalt and Nanaimo Railway to the
Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...
. In 1910, he sold his coal mining companies, Union Colliery of British Columbia and R. Dunsmuir & Sons, to Canadian Collieries (Dunsmuir) Ltd (CCD).


Opposition to organized labour

In the 42 years that the Dunsmuirs owned the collieries, they never recognized their employees' attempts to unionize or create better working conditions. Dunsmuir used threats, spies, blacklists and scab labour to break strikes. When he could not break a strike with scab labour, he used his influence to have the provincial government call in the militia. Dunsmuir stated to a royal commission, "I object to all unions...They simply take the management of the mine...I want the management of my own works, and if I recognize the union, I cannot have that." Dunsmuir provoked further rage when he ordered workers to relocate their homes at a new pit. Workers also resented low wages and the dangerous conditions that Dunsmuir imposed upon them. Mine owners at the time regularly ignored safety and sanitary conditions, and provincial inspectors were slow to bring them to justice. Dunsmuir contributed to the mines of British Columbia being among the most dangerous in the world. Between 1889 and 1908, twenty-three men were killed in the production of every million tons of BC coal; the average for North America as a whole was six deaths per million tons. In 1901, while serving as Premier, many men perished in his collieries.


Political career

Dunsmuir entered provincial politics in 1898, winning a
seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair (furniture), ...
in 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 ...
, and he became the
14th 14 (fourteen) is a natural number following 13 (number), 13 and preceding 15 (number), 15. In relation to the word "four" (4), 14 is spelled "fourteen". In mathematics * 14 is a composite number. * 14 is a square pyramidal number. * 14 is a s ...
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 ...
in 1900. His government attempted to resist popular pressure to curtail Asian labour and
immigration Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
, not for humanitarian reasons, but to ensure a cheap labour pool for business. It also promoted railway construction and accomplished a redistribution of seats to better represent population distribution in the province. Dunsmuir visited England and the United States in 1902, but disliked politics after his return and resigned as Premier in November 1902. In 1906, he became the province's eighth
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 ...
. He retired in 1909 and lived out his remaining years at the baronial mansion that he had constructed at Hatley Park.


Legacy

Dunsmuir founded the town of
Ladysmith, British Columbia Ladysmith, originally Oyster Harbour, is a town located on the 49th parallel north on the east coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The local economy is based on forestry, tourism, and agriculture. A hillside location adjacent to ...
. He 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 ...
in
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 ...
. One of his daughters, Jessie Muriel, married, as her first husband, the couturier Edward Molyneux. His second-born son, James A. Dunsmuir Jr., died in the sinking of the ''
RMS Lusitania RMS ''Lusitania'' (named after the Roman province in Western Europe corresponding to modern Portugal) was a British ocean liner that was launched by the Cunard Line in 1906 and that held the Blue Riband appellation for the fastest Atlanti ...
'' in 1915. His last child,
Dola Dunsmuir Dola Frances Dunsmuir Cavendish (September 25, 1903 – December 9, 1966) was a Canadian socialite, rumored to have been Tallulah Bankhead's long lasting companion. Biography Dola Frances Dunsmuir was born on September 25, 1903, the youngest daug ...
, married Lieutenant-Commander Henry Cavendish and was rumored to be Tallulah Bankhead's lover.


Gallery

File:Hatley Castle front entrance Aug 2006.jpg,
Hatley Castle Hatley Park National Historic Site is located in Colwood, British Columbia, in Greater Victoria. It is the site of Hatley Castle, a Classified Federal Heritage Building. Since 1995, the mansion and estate have been used for the public Royal Ro ...
, c. 2006 File:James dunsmuir 1.jpg, Gravestone of James Dunsmuir at
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 ...
in Victoria File:James dunsmuir 2.jpg, Dunsmuir family monument at Ross Bay Cemetery in Victoria


References

*


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dunsmuir, James 1851 births 1920 deaths Premiers of British Columbia Canadian Presbyterians Lieutenant Governors of British Columbia Canadian people of Scottish descent Canadian city founders People from the Cowichan Valley Regional District