Theodore Davie (March 22, 1852 in

Brixton Brixton is a district in south London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th ce ...

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– March 7, 1898 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 ...

) 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, ...

lawyer, politician, and jurist. He practised law in Cassiar and

Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, it had a population of 99,863, and it is known as "The Harbour City." The city was previously known as the "H ...

before settling in Victoria and becoming a leading criminal lawyer. He was the brother of

Alexander Edmund Batson Davie Alexander Edmund Batson Davie, Queen's Counsel, QC, referred to as A. E. B. Davie (November 24, 1847 – August 1, 1889), was the eighth premier of British Columbia. He served in office from 1887 until his death in 1889. Call to the bar, Called ...

, who served as premier of British Columbia from 1887 to 1889. Theodore Davie was first 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 1882. In 1889, he became

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under

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 ...

John Robson, and succeeded Robson as premier in 1892. Davie's government passed a ''Redistribution Bill'' to give the mainland of the province greater representation in the legislature. His government also provided financial incentives to the railways in an effort to stimulate the economy. The Davie government also approved the construction of the province's parliament buildings in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

despite pressure to move the capital to the mainland. Davie served as premier until 1895 when he resigned to become Chief Justice of the

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succeeding the province's first Chief Justice, Sir

Matthew Baillie Begbie Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie (9 May 1819 – 11 June 1894) was a British lawyer, politician, and judge. In 1858, Begbie became the first Chief Justice of the Crown Colony of British Columbia in colonial times and in the first decades after Bri ...

. Theodore Davie is interred in the

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 ...

References

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''Encyclopedia of British Columbia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davie, Theodore 1852 births 1898 deaths Premiers of British Columbia Judges in British Columbia English emigrants to pre-Confederation British Columbia People from Brixton Attorneys General of British Columbia Lawyers in British Columbia