Thomas Dufferin "Duff" Pattullo (January 19, 1873 – March 30, 1956) was the 22nd

premier of British Columbia 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 ...

from 1933 to 1941.

Early life and early political career

Born in

Woodstock, Ontario Woodstock is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The city has a population of 40,902 according to the 2016 Canadian census. Woodstock is the seat of Oxford County, at the head of the non-navigable Thames River, approximately 128 km from ...

, into a family of Scottish ancestry, Pattullo's early career was as a journalist with two newspapers in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

: the ''Woodstock Sentinel'' in the 1890s, and as editor of the ''Galt Reformer'' in 1896. He got a job as secretary to

James Morrow Walsh James Morrow Walsh (22 May 1840 – 25 July 1905) was a North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) officer and the first commissioner of Yukon. Born in Prescott, Ontario, James Walsh was one of the original officers of the NWMP. Superintendent Walsh ...

, the

commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

of the

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

, where he stayed until 1902. In 1908, he moved to

Prince Rupert, British Columbia Prince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Its location is on Kaien Island near the Alaskan panhandle. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and has a population of 12, ...

and soon became mayor. He was elected to the provincial

legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...

in the 1916 election, and was appointed minister of lands in the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

government. Following the defeat of the Liberals in the 1928 election, Pattullo became Liberal Party leader, and

leader of the opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

. In the 1933 election, with the Conservatives in disarray and not running any official candidates, Pattullo led the party back into government.

Premier of British Columbia

The Pattullo government, elected in the midst of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, attempted to extend government services and relief to the unemployed. In the 1937 general election, his government was re-elected running on the slogan of "

socialized In sociology, socialization or socialisation (see spelling differences) is the process of internalizing the norms and ideologies of society. Socialization encompasses both learning and teaching and is thus "the means by which social and cultur ...

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for Profit (economics), profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, pric ...

".Price, Christine
"A Very Conservative Radical": Reverend Robert Connell's encounter with Marxism in the BC CCF
Simon Fraser University MA Thesis, 2006 His government was unable to secure a

majority A majority, also called a simple majority or absolute majority to distinguish it from #Related terms, related terms, is more than half of the total.Dictionary definitions of ''majority'' aMerriam-Webster1941 election due, in part, to the rise of the

Co-operative Commonwealth Federation The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF; french: Fédération du Commonwealth Coopératif, FCC); from 1955 the Social Democratic Party of Canada (''french: Parti social démocratique du Canada''), was a federal democratic socialism, democra ...

. He was unwilling to form a

coalition government A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...

with the

Conservatives 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 ...

, so his Liberal Party removed him as leader and formed such a coalition despite his objections. Pattullo was vocal in his opposition to extending franchise to minority groups in the Province, both during and after his tenure as premier. The concern raised was that if Chinese Canadians or Japanese Canadians fight on behalf of Canada in WWII, these Canadians would return home and demand equal rights of citizenship.

Later life

In the 1945 election, Pattullo lost his seat in the legislature and retired from politics. He died 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. Th ...

in 1956. He is interred and rested in the Royal Oak Burial Park in

Honours

The

Pattullo Bridge The Pattullo Bridge is a through arch bridge that crosses the Fraser River and links the city of New Westminster to the city of Surrey in British Columbia. It was named in honour of Thomas Dufferin Pattullo, the 22nd Premier of British Columbia. ...

is named in his honour, as well as Prince Rupert's Pattullo Park, Mount Pattullo, the

Pattullo Range The Pattullo Range is a subrange of the Hazelton Mountains, located south of Tesla Lake and northeast of Bella Coola in northern British Columbia, Canada. Its highest summit is Tsaydaychuz Peak, 2758 m (9049 feet). Name origin The range was ...

in North Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, and the Pattullo Glaciers in that range.BC Names/GeoBC entry "Pattullo Range"
/ref> Calls have been made to rename the replacement Pattullo bridge in consideration of Pattullo's anti-Asian political decisions while Premier. The replacement bridge is due to be completed in 2024.

References

External sources

The Canadian Encyclopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pattullo, Thomas Dufferin Premiers of British Columbia Leaders of the British Columbia Liberal Party British Columbia Liberal Party MLAs 1873 births 1956 deaths Canadian Presbyterians Canadian newspaper editors Canadian male journalists People from Woodstock, Ontario People from Prince Rupert, British Columbia Mayors of places in British Columbia