Robert Leslie Thomas "'R.L.T." Galbraith (1841 – May 12, 1924) 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 merchant 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

Kootenay Kootenay, Kootenai, and Kutenai may refer to: Ethnic groups *The Kutenai, also known as the Ktunaxa, Kootenai, or Kootenay, an indigenous people of the United States and Canada **Kutenai language, the traditional language of the Kutenai **Ktunaxa ...

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 ...

from 1877 to 1886.

Biography

Robert Leslie Thomas was born in

Raphoe Raphoe ( ; ) is a historical village in County Donegal, Ireland. It is the main town in the fertile district of East Donegal known as the Laggan, as well as giving its name to the Barony of Raphoe, which was later divided into the baronies of R ...

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

in 1841, the son of Professor Galbraith, of

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

descent. He was educated at the

Royal College A royal college in some Commonwealth countries is technically a college which has received royal patronage and permission to use the prefix ''royal''. Permission is usually granted through a royal charter. The charter normally confers a constituti ...

there. In 1870, he came to

Fort Steele Fort Steele is a heritage site in the East Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. This visitor attraction lies on the east shore of the Kootenay River between the mouths of the St. Mary River (British Columbia), St. Mary River and Wild H ...

on the

Kootenay River The Kootenay or Kootenai river is a major river in the Northwest Plateau, in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, and northern Montana and Idaho in the United States. It is one of the uppermost major tributaries of the Columbia River, the l ...

, at that time known as Galbraith's Ferry, to join his brother John who was operating a ferry and general store there. Galbraith was first elected to the assembly in an 1877 by-election held following the death of

William Cosgrove Milby William Cosgrove Milby (?-26 October 1877) was a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Kootenay from a by-election in 1872 to 1874 and from a by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United St ...

. He was chairman of the assembly's Committee of Ways and Means and Supplies. Galbraith later served as

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

and was Indian agent for the southeast part of the province. He became known as the "Grand Old Man of the Kootenays". In 1913, at the age of 72, Galbraith married Ella Fleming, a 39-year-old woman from England. Robert Leslie Thomas Galbraith died in Fort Steele on May 12, 1924.

References

External links

* 1841 births 1924 deaths Politicians from County Donegal Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation British Columbia Independent MLAs in British Columbia People educated at the Royal and Prior School {{BritishColumbia-MLA-stub