Henry Holbrook (July 11, 1820 – May 11, 1902) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

-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

New Westminster City New Westminster City was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia from 1871 to 1912. For other electoral districts in New Westminster, please see New Westminster (electoral districts). Demographics Politica ...

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 1871 to 1875. The son of Samuel Holbrook, he was born in

Northwich {{Infobox UK place , static_image_name = Northwich - Town Bridge.jpg , static_image_caption = Town Bridge, the River Weaver and the spire of Holy Trinity Church , official_name = Northwich , country ...

and was educated in Witton,

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

. Holbrook entered business as a merchant in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

. He was a contractor during the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...

and later lived in

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. Holbrook came 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 ...

at the start of the

Fraser Canyon Gold Rush The Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, (also Fraser Gold Rush and Fraser River Gold Rush) began in 1858 after gold was discovered on the Thompson River in British Columbia at its confluence with the Nicoamen River a few miles upstream from the Thompson's c ...

of 1858. He settled in

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 ...

the following year when it became the capital of the

Colony of British Columbia The Colony of British Columbia refers to one of two colonies of British North America, located on the Pacific coast of modern-day Canada: *Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866) *Colony of British Columbia (1866–1871) See also *History of Br ...

, opening a store there. He served as alderman on the municipal council, also serving as president of the council (mayor). In 1864, he ran unsuccessfully to represent New Westminster District in the

Colonial Assembly of British Columbia The Colony Assembly of British Columbia was formed in 1858 but there was no assembly till 1864. The assembly existed from January 21st 1864 to August 6th 1866 when the Colony of British Columbia merged with the Colony of Vancouver Island. Only a min ...

but was elected for Douglas and Lillooet District. Holbrook opposed the union of the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia in 1866, which led to Victoria becoming the capital. Although he developed some doubts, Holbrook generally supported union with Canada. In 1870, he went to

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

as an unofficial delegate to discuss the terms of union. In 1871, he was named Chief Commissioner of Land and Works in the provincial cabinet; he then became president of the Executive Council instead. Holbrook was defeated when he ran for reelection in 1875. In 1880, he returned to England for his health. Although he never returned, Holbrook retained an interest in British Columbia. In 1884, he published ''British Columbia gold mines; a paper read before the Liverpool Geological Association ...''. He died at Talbot House in Parkgate at the age of 81.

References

1820 births 1902 deaths English emigrants to pre-Confederation British Columbia Independent MLAs in British Columbia Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia Mayors of New Westminster New Westminster city councillors Members of the Colonial Assembly of British Columbia People from Northwich {{BritishColumbia-mayor-stub