James Dunsmuir (1851-1920) - Find a Grave Memorial

14th Premier of British Columbia. He served in this position from June 1900 until November 1902. Born into a wealthy family of Scottish ancestry, his father was a coal mining baron. After attending local schools, he was sent to Dundas, Ontario, Canada, to attend the Dundas Wesleyan Boys' Institute and in 1874 he enrolled at the Virginia Agriculture and Mechanical College at Blacksburg, Virginia to study mining engineering. In 1876 he returned home to manage the family coal business, the Union Colliery of British Columbia and R. Dunsmuir and Sons. In 1898 he entered politics when he was elected to the British Columbia Legislative Assembly from the Comox district and two years later he was elected to the Assembly from the district of South Nanaimo. In June 1900 he became Premier, succeeding Joseph Martin. During his tenure, his government promoted railway construction and redistribution of the seats in the Legislature to gain a better representation of the population in the province and resisted attempts to limit Asian immigration and labor in an attempt to ensure a cheap labor pool. Not affiliated with any political party, his disdain for politics caused him to resign his position in November 1902 and he was succeeded by Edward Gawler Prior. In May 1906 he became the 8th Lieutenant Governor of the province, serving until December 1909 when he left politics for good. In 1910 he sold his coal business to the Canadian Collieries (Dunsmuir) Ltd. and lived out the remainder of his life on his vast estate at Hatley Park in Colwood, British Columbia, Canada, and died at the age of 68.

Bio by: William Bjornstad