Robie Lewis Reid (1866 – 1945) was a historian and jurist 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, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Reid wrote many books and essays on the

history of British Columbia The history of British Columbia covers the period from the arrival of Paleo-Indians thousands of years ago to the present day. Prior to European colonization, the lands encompassing present-day British Columbia were inhabited for millennia by ...

, but his special interest was the study of the works of

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

. Another special field of interest was that coins of early British Columbia, concerning which he remains one of the main authorities.

Biography

Reid was born in Cornwallis Township, Kings County, Nova Scotia, in the community of Steam Mill Village on November 3, 1866, but ventured to British Columbia in 1885 to

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 ...

, in 1885 to write the provincial teacher's examination. During this experience he met Frederic W. Howay, with whom he established a personal and professional relationship that lasted sixty years. Reid persuaded Howay to return to Nova Scotia with him to register for Law at

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...

, from which they graduated together in 1890 and in 1893 formed the lawfirm Howay & Reid. Reid was appointed

debenture In corporate finance, a debenture is a medium- to long-term debt instrument used by large companies to borrow money, at a fixed rate of interest. The legal term "debenture" originally referred to a document that either creates a debt or acknowl ...

commissioner for

New Westminster New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the capita ...

after that city's Great Fire in 1898. In 1907 Reid joined William J. Bowser, then Attorney-General of British Columbia and later

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 ...

, and D.S. Wallbridge to form Bowser, Reid & Wallbridge. From 1927 to 1943 Reid was a Bencher of the

Law Society of British Columbia The Law Society of British Columbia is the regulatory body for lawyers in British Columbia, Canada. Purpose The society's primary mandate under the ''Legal Profession Act'' is to uphold and protect the public interest in the administration of ...

. Reid was also a member of the UBC board of governors from 1913 to 1935, and President of the British Columbia Historical Association in 1937, and is credited with the founding of the ''

British Columbia Historical Quarterly British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

''. He was made a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (RSC; french: Société royale du Canada, SRC), also known as the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada (French: ''Académies des arts, des lettres et des sciences du Canada''), is the senior national, bil ...

in 1936, and was also a Member of the

American Historical Association The American Historical Association (AHA) is the oldest professional association of historians in the United States and the largest such organization in the world. Founded in 1884, the AHA works to protect academic freedom, develop professional s ...

, Washington. Dr. Reid's interests in literature and the arts are also well documented. He was the first President of the Vancouver Little Theatre Association, and a member and chairman of the Board of the

Vancouver Public Library Vancouver Public Library (VPL) is the public library system for the city of Vancouver, British Columbia. In 2013, VPL had more than 6.9 million visits with patrons borrowing nearly 9.5 million items including: books, ebooks, CDs, DVDs, video game ...

. He died on February 6, 1945, of failing health.

Legacy

Mount Robie Reid Mount Robie Reid is a mountain in the eastern part of Golden Ears Provincial Park in the southern end of the Garibaldi Ranges overlooking the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. It lies to the north of Mission, British Columbia and ...

to the north of the Maple Ridge and

Mission, British Columbia Mission is a city in the Lower Mainland of the province of British Columbia, Canada. It was originally incorporated as a district municipality in 1892, growing to include additional villages and rural areas over the years, adding the original To ...

, near the Golden Ears, was named in commemoration of Reid,

Mount Judge Howay Mount Judge Howay, originally the Snow Peaks (a term which included Mount Robie Reid), is a distinctive twin summit located from the Central Fraser Valley and, close up, the north end of Stave Lake. Being one of the highest peaks in the region, ...

just to the northeast was named for his colleague F.W. Howay. *The Howay-Reid Collection at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

was founded by Reid's donation of his personal book collection of 9,000 books, over 4,000 pamphlets, and a collection of assorted other media, including maps, photographs, correspondences, plus 50,000 file cards naming books he had been searching for. At the time of its creation this was the largest collection of

Canadiana Canadiana is a term used to describe things (e.g., books, historical documents, and artifacts), ideas, or activities that concern or are distinctive of Canada, its people, and/or its culture, especially works of literature and other cultural pro ...

anywhere in the country.

References

Biography from University of BC Special Collections website
1866 births 1945 deaths 20th-century Canadian historians Canadian male non-fiction writers History of British Columbia Lawyers in British Columbia Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Canadian numismatists {{Canada-writer-stub