Lumley Franklin (1808 – 3 August 1873) was the 2nd mayor of

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 ...

. He was born in Liverpool, England, the son of a successful banker. Lumley emigrated from London to New York City in 1845 to establish his career in the U.S. He was a successful business man before he moved to San Francisco in 1854 to join his brothers Edward and

Selim Salim, Saleem or Selim may refer to: People *Salim (name), or Saleem or Salem or Selim, a name of Arabic origin *Salim (poet) (1800–1866) *Saleem (playwright) (fl. 1996) *Selim I, Selim II and Selim III, Ottoman Sultans * Selim people, an eth ...

during the

California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California fro ...

. Lumley's cousins, Maurice and Lewis Franklin, had already left San Francisco to establish the Franklin House in San Diego, but frequently visited San Francisco. Lumley stayed in California until 1858 when he and younger brother

(1814–1884) moved up to Victoria for the

Fraser Canyon Gold Rush The Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, (also Fraser Gold Rush and Fraser River Gold Rush) began in 1858 after gold was discovered on the Thompson River in British Columbia at its confluence with the Nicoamen River a few miles upstream from the Thompson's c ...

. In Victoria, Lumley and Selim established Franklin & Company, Auctioneers and Land Agents, at the foot of Yates Street. Because they were English citizens, they were appointed by Governor James Douglas as the first government auctioneers for British Columbia. Franklin & Company took out full page adds in the daily newspaper, The British Colonist, to advertise items up for auction which usually included properties in the area, furniture, cattle, books, photographs and carriages. In addition, the Franklins bought up properties around Victoria for their own ownership, including a cattle sale yard on Fort Street. One of Lumley's properties in the Seattle, Washington area became the subject of a US Supreme Court ruling in 1896
Hanford vs. Davies
Franklin achieved the title of

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

and was a founding member of the

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

lodge in Victoria. He was also a member of the grand jury that heard the trial of Tshuanahusset regarding the murder of William Robinson. In June 1867, Lumley was selected to the Board of Education of Vancouver Island along Dr. Powell (Chairman), David Higgins, Francis Garesche, and Thomas Wood. Franklin Street in Victoria was named after Lumley Franklin. The

Franklin River The Franklin River is a major perennial river located in the Central Highlands and western regions of Tasmania, Australia. The river is located in the Franklin-Gordon Wild Rivers National Park at the mid northern area of the Tasmanian Wilderne ...

on Vancouver Island was named for his brother Selim.

Mayor of Victoria

In November 1865 Lumley became the second mayor of Victoria, the same year his brother Selim left his seat on the Provincial Legislature. Lumley was nominated by the first mayor of Victoria,

Thomas Harris William Thomas Harris III (born 1940/1941) is an American writer, best known for a series of suspense novels about his most famous character, Hannibal Lecter. The majority of his works have been adapted into films and television, the most notab ...

. Lumley's opponent was Mr. Copland, who he defeated by a vote of 78 to 73. During his term in office, Franklin had the privilege of presiding over the installation of the

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

cable linking Victoria directly to England. He received many congratulatory letters from other cities such as London, England and San Francisco on having Victoria connected via telegraph. He responded to each of these letters with a thank you note in return. Throughout his term Franklin was well liked and "urged to stand for re-election" by his fellow councillors and the general public. He declined the offer because he wanted to travel and enjoy his wealth.

Composer and co-founder of Victoria Philharmonic Society

Shortly after arriving in Victoria, Lumley and Selim Franklin helped found the Victoria Philharmonic Society, both served as executives in the organization, and both sang in the musical performances. The Chairman of the Society was Chief-Justice Begbie, who sang opera. The Conductor was Chief of Police John Bayley. Other founders included Postmaster General Arthur Bushby, Alexander Main, Augustus Pemberton, A.C. Anderson, Joseph Porter, James Leigh, B.W. Pearse, and James Crowly. Lumley is listed in a history of music in Victoria as the Composer/Mayor. According to

The Knickerbocker ''The Knickerbocker'', or ''New-York Monthly Magazine'', was a literary magazine of New York City, founded by Charles Fenno Hoffman in 1833, and published until 1865. Its long-term editor and publisher was Lewis Gaylord Clark, whose "Editor's Ta ...

Magazine in 1849, Lumley was involved in composer circles, including opera singer, director and composer Signor

Giuseppe de Begnis Giuseppe de Begnis (1793-10 August 1849) was an Italian operatic bass singer. Born in Lugo di Romagna, he started his musical education when he was 7 years old, under Padre Bongiovanni, and sang soprano in the church. At age 15 he had serious ...

of London and New York, and

Thomas Moore Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852) was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist celebrated for his ''Irish Melodies''. Their setting of English-language verse to old Irish tunes marked the transition in popular Irish culture from Irish ...

of London. De Begnis described Lumley as being an excellent judge of music and possessing accomplished vocal skills, which given his credentials is a supreme compliment. De Begnis was a world-class opera singer who worked with

Rossini Gioachino Antonio Rossini (29 February 1792 – 13 November 1868) was an Italian composer who gained fame for his 39 operas, although he also wrote many songs, some chamber music and piano pieces, and some sacred music. He set new standards f ...

in Italy and was married to the talented opera soprano

Giuseppina Ronzi de Begnis Giuseppina Ronzi de Begnis (born Giuseppina Ronzi; Milan 11 January 1800 – died, Florence, 7 June 1853) was an Italian soprano opera singer famous for the roles written for her by the prominent composers of the 1820s and 1830s. Her father, Gasp ...

(Claudine de Begnis). Signor De Begnis dedicated one of his works to Lumley before he died in New York in August 1849.

Death and estate

Franklin enjoyed travelling, and frequently travelled by steamship down to San Francisco. It was on a journey down south to deal with his deceased brother's estate, Edward Franklin, that he suffered a severe stroke on July 11, 1873. He became paralysed and eventually died on August 3, 1873 in San Francisco at age 65. His brother, Selim Franklin, was the executor of the estate, which was settled in San Francisco, CA, as the place of Lumley's death. Lumley was most likely buried in Victoria, BC. Lumley Franklin's estate was divided up as follows: *1/10 – Sarah Franklin (sister) *1/20 – Maria Ashton (sister) *1/10 – P. Lewis of Naples (brother) *3/20 – David Lewis of London (brother) *5/20 – Selim (brother) *1/10 – Walter Lewis (brother) *3/20 – to the children of Frank (brother) *1/10 to Elise Reynolds (sister?) and her son, William.

References

Sources

*British Columbia Archives **Government Records and Historical Manuscripts-Old System, NW 645 F8 32c. **Colonial Correspondence-inward, A E C86 C86 F851. **Colonial Correspondence-outward, E B F85, 1867. **Personal Portraits, Box 88 #5583.
The Victoria Daily Standard, 1873, Death Notices

*History of British Columbia, 1792-1887 By Hubert Howe Bancroft, William Nemos, Alfred Bates **Victoria Gazette, Feb 1, 1859 - Jan 29 founding of the Victoria Philharmonic Society
The Knickerbocker: Or, New-York Monthly Magazine edited by Charles Fenno Hoffman, Timothy Flint, Lewis Gaylord Clark, Kinahan Cornwallis, John Holmes, page 176
*The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera, (Oxford: 1980) p. 124. *A documentary history of music in Victoria, British Columbia, Vol. I: 1850-1899, McIntosh, Robert Dale, Victoria, BC: University of Victoria, 1981, 304 p. *British Columbia Archives **MS-0180 LANGLEY, Alfred John. 1820-1896, Victoria; druggist. Originals, 1858–1915, 18 cm * Who's Who in Jewish History By Joan Comay, Lavinia Cohn-Sherbok, p. 133

External links