Sir Richard McBride, (December 15, 1870 – August 6, 1917) was a

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, ...

politician and is often considered the founder of the

British Columbia Conservative Party The Conservative Party of British Columbia is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. In the early half of the 20th century, the Conservatives competed with the British Columbia Liberal Party for power in the province. Since th ...

. McBride was first elected to the provincial legislature in the 1898 election and served in the

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

James Dunsmuir James Dunsmuir (July 8, 1851 – June 6, 1920) was a Canadian industrialist and politician in British Columbia. He served as the 14th premier of British Columbia from 1900 to 1902 and the eighth lieutenant governor of British Columbia from 19 ...

from 1900 to 1901. McBride believed that the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

's system of non-party government was unstable and hindered development. After the

lieutenant-governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

appointed him the 16th

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 ...

in June 1903 and McBride announced that his government was a Conservative Party administration and would contest the upcoming election along party lines. On October 3, 1903, McBride's party, the

won the first provincial election to be fought along party lines with a two-seat

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-Webster Ross Bay Cemetery Ross Bay Cemetery is located at 1516 Fairfield Road in Victoria, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island, Canada. Many historical figures from the early days of the province and colony of British Columbia are buried at Ross Bay. History The ceme ...

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 ...

Premier of British Columbia

The new Conservative government attempted to stabilize the economy by cutting spending and raising new taxes. It also introduced progressive reforms of the province's labour law. In 1909 McBride unveiled plans for a provincial university and promised to build more railway lines. The party won commanding majorities in the

1909 Events January–February * January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes. * January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. * Januar ...

and 1912 elections, almost shutting the

Opposition Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * ''The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Comed ...

out of the legislature. McBride's Conservatives were aligned with the federal

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 ...

Robert Borden Sir Robert Laird Borden (June 26, 1854 – June 10, 1937) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Canada from 1911 to 1920. He is best known for his leadership of Canada during World War I. Borde ...

and helped them take power in the 1911 federal election. On the first day of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the provincial government purchased and took possession of two submarines ( and ) to defend the province from the threat of German attack. As provinces are not constitutionally allowed to maintain militaries, they were quickly transferred by order to the federal government within 48 hours and entered service with the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...

in August 1914. His government was also responsible for the creation of the province's first university, 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 ...

, which opened its doors in 1915. The government's popularity waned as an economic downturn hit the province along with the mounting railway debts. McBride resigned on December 15, 1915, to become the province's representative in London, where he died in 1917.

Legacy

The small community of

McBride, British Columbia McBride is a village in the Robson Valley region of British Columbia, Canada. The village is located southeast of Prince George, British Columbia, and west of Jasper, Alberta. Incorporated in 1932, McBride is located in the Robson Valley surro ...

was named after this premier during the time he was in office. Also named for the premier, the

McBride River McBride may refer to: * McBride (surname), the Irish surname held by many notable individuals Places * Sebree, Kentucky, United States, originally known as McBride * McBride, Michigan, United States * McBride, Mississippi, United States * McBride, ...

in northern British Columbia is a major tributary of the Stikine.

Richard McBride Elementary School School District 40 New Westminster is a school district based in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. The school board serves the city of New Westminster, including the neighbourhood of Queensborough, British Columbia, Queensborough on Lulu ...

(Now Renamed to Skwo:wech Elementary School) in New Westminster was built in 1912 and replaced the Sapperton School nearby, after burning down it was rebuilt as the current school being completed in 1929. Sir Richard McBride Elementary School in Vancouver was named after him in 1911 during his tenure as Premier as well as McBride Park in Kitsilano on July 26, 1911. (During World War I the park was used for the cultivation of vegetables.)

Mount McBride Mount McBride is a mountain located on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It is east of Gold River and northeast of Golden Hinde. Mount McBride is one of two peaks in British Columbia named for BC Premier Sir Richard McBride. Th ...

, a peak in Strathcona Park on Vancouver Island, is also named after the premier. Also named for him is McBride Boulevard 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 ...

which is the western ramp for 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. ...

References

External links

*
Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''''British Columbia: From the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol IV (Biographical)'' by E.O.S. Scholefield and F.W. Howay (see pp. 5-6)
{{DEFAULTSORT:McBride, Richard 1870 births 1917 deaths Premiers of British Columbia British Columbia Conservative Party leaders British Columbia Conservative Party MLAs Canadian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Canadian people of Anglo-Irish descent Canadian people of Ulster-Scottish descent Canadian King's Counsel Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)

Premier of British Columbia

Legacy

See also

References

External links