Thomas Owen Townley (August 18, 1862 – March 19, 1935) 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 ...

lawyer and the eighth

Mayor of Vancouver The mayor of Vancouver is the head and chief executive officer of Vancouver, British Columbia, who is elected for a four-year term. The 41st and current officeholder is Ken Sim, who has held office since November 7, 2022. List indicat ...

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, ...

, serving one term in 1901. Born in Newmarket,

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...

, the son of John and Alice (Dixon) Townley, both of whom were natives of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

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, Townley was educated in the public schools of Newmarket and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1882 from the

Trinity College, Toronto Trinity College (occasionally referred to as The University of Trinity College) is a college federated with the University of Toronto, founded in 1851 by Bishop John Strachan. Strachan originally intended Trinity as a university of strong Angli ...

. He later studied law in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

and was called to the bar of

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

in 1886. He moved to Vancouver and started a law practice. From 1889 to 1910, he was registrar of land titles for the District of New Westminster. In 1901, he was elected mayor of Vancouver and served for one term. From 1886 to 1896, he served in the militia, retiring with the rank of lieutenant colonel.

References

* * * 1862 births 1935 deaths Lawyers in British Columbia Canadian people of English descent Mayors of Vancouver Trinity College (Canada) alumni People from Newmarket, Ontario 20th-century Canadian politicians {{BritishColumbia-mayor-stub