William Henry Ladner (November 28, 1826 – November 1, 1907) was an

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-born miner, farmer 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 New Westminster from 1886 to 1890 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 ...

Life

Ladner was born in

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

, the son of Edward Ladner and Sarah Ellis. In 1848, he emigrated to

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where his father had arrived earlier with other Cornish miners. After his father died in 1851, Ladner and his brother Thomas Ellis travelled to

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to mine for gold. In 1858, they headed north and joined the rush to the newly discovered gold fields in the

Fraser River The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of Vancouver. The river's annual d ...

canyon in British Columbia. Ladner was named a constable for the region. In 1865, with partner Robert Thompson Smith, he was involved in transporting goods to the Big Bend region on the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

. After mining in the area was found to be unproductive, Ladner's business collapsed and he began farming in the delta of the Fraser River. In 1879, he lobbied for the creation of a new rural municipality,

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. Ladner served as a reeve and local police constable. Ladner ran unsuccessfully for a seat in New Westminster District before being elected in 1886. He was defeated when he ran for re-election in 1890. He later took part in the formation of the provincial

Conservative party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

. He ran unsuccessfully as a Conservative for the assembly seat representing

in 1903. Ladner was married twice: first to Mary Ann Booth in 1866 and then to Mrs. Ella B. McLellan in 1897. He died in Ladner, named after the two brothers, at the age of 80.

References

External links

* * 1826 births 1907 deaths Independent MLAs in British Columbia British emigrants to Canada Canadian people of Cornish descent {{BritishColumbia-MLA-stub