Noah Shakespeare (January 26, 1839 – May 13, 1921) 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 ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

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, ...

noted for his involvement in the anti-Chinese movement. Shakespeare was born in

Staffordshire, England Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

, arriving 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. The ...

in 1863. Shakespeare was involved in the photography business, running a gallery and acting as an agent for others. He made an early run for office as an independent candidate in the second British Columbia election in 1875, coming fourth in a two-member district. Shakespeare was a leader in the anti-Chinese movement in the city. He became president of the Workingmen's Protective Association in 1878. The short-lived organization was established to lobby for restrictions on Chinese immigration during the 1878 election. Shakespeare's politics were popular in the Victoria of his day. He was elected mayor in 1882. He was also elected as 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 in ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

that year, defeating former B.C. Premier

Amor De Cosmos Amor De Cosmos (born William Alexander Smith; August 20, 1825 – July 4, 1897) was a Canadian journalist, publisher and politician. He served as the second premier of British Columbia. Early life Amor De Cosmos was born William Alexander Smit ...

in the

Victoria district Victoria District was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1871 to 1872. History It was created at the time of that province's entry into Confederation in 1871. ...

. Shakespeare was re-elected in

1887 Events January–March * January 11 – Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the Académie Nationale de Médecine, by Dr. Joseph Grancher. * January 20 ** The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl ...

but resigned his seat only three months later to become Postmaster for Victoria.

References

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* * Independent MLAs in British Columbia 1839 births 1921 deaths Mayors of Victoria, British Columbia Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from British Columbia English emigrants to pre-Confederation British Columbia {{BritishColumbia-MLA-stub, Shakespeare, Noah