James Hurst Hawthornthwaite (1869 – November 1, 1926) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

-born land agent, businessman and political figure 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 represented

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 ...

from 1901 to 1908 and from 1909 to 1912 as a

Socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

and

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

from 1918 to 1920 as an Independent Socialist in the

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is the deliberative assembly of the Parliament of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The Legislative Assembly meets in Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria. Members ar ...

. He was born in

County Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Sovereign state, Country , subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Provinces o ...

and educated in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Hawthornthwaite came to British Columbia during the 1880s. He worked as a secretary for the American consulate in

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 ...

and the New Vancouver Coal Mining and Land Company Limited. In 1890, he married Elizabeth "Ada" Bate. Hawthornthwaite helped develop a workmen's compensation act in 1902. He also lobbied for improved safety standards and labour reforms in the mining industry. He was a founding member of the Socialist Party of Canada in 1904. He resigned his seat in 1908 to run unsuccessfully in the federal riding of

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 ...

. Hawthornthwaite was able to regain his seat in a by-election held the following year. In 1912, the Socialist Party in Nanaimo became part of the

Social Democratic Party of Canada The Social Democratic Party was a social democratic political party in Canada founded in 1911 by members of the right wing of the Socialist Party of Canada, many of whom had left the organisation in May 1907 to form the Social Democratic Party of ...

and Hawthornthwaite was not chosen as a candidate. He was later elected to the assembly in a 1918 by-election held in Newcastle after

Parker Williams Parker Williams (May 31, 1872 – June 17, 1958) was a Welsh-born coal miner and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Newcastle in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1903 to 1918 as a Socialist and later as an i ...

resigned his seat. Hawthornthwaite died in 1926 in Victoria.

References

External links

Records of James Hurst Hawthornthwaite are held by Simon Fraser University's Special Collections and Rare Books
1869 births 1926 deaths British Columbia Socialist Party MLAs Irish emigrants to Canada (before 1923) Politicians from County Westmeath Socialist Party of Canada politicians {{BritishColumbia-MLA-stub