A Closer Look 9 - John Foster McCreight

This photo was originally identified as Matthew Baillie Begbie in error. Visitor Stephen Aberle pointed out that it didn't look like Begbie so I checked around and discovered that it appears to be a photo of John Foster McCreight, the first Premier of British Columbia. Sorry for the misleading information.

This text is the original post: Matthew Baillie Begbie (later Sir Matthew) was sworn in as Chief Justice at the same time (1858) as James Douglas was sworn in as governor of the Colony of British Columbia for the same reason - to establish British sovereignty and rule of law in the colony, especially in the previously lawless area of the Cariboo Gold Rush. Baillie was very much a renaissance man. In addition to his work as a judge, he drafted laws and had numerous other activities. He was an avid naturalist and opera singer and spoke several of the languages of the Native Peoples well enough to conduct trials in them without the use of an interpreter. He was popular and respected and must have been a very interesting man. You can find out more about him by clicking HERE and HERE.

A Closer Look 3

After watching me lying on the stairs and leaning up against the corners of the building for a while one of the security guards laughed when I said I was trying to get a new angle on Victoria's Legislative Assembly Building. We agreed that if the building had lost one atom for each photograph taken, it would have disappeared long ago. I can't say I feel I succeeded with this shot of the main entrance but you can see two more of British Columbia's historically important figures in their niches and below.

On the right is Sir James Douglas, often called "The Father of British Columbia," since he was the founder of Victoria and the first Governor of the colony of British Columbia. You can read all about him in Wikipedia. Douglas founded Fort Victoria in his capacity as Factor of the Hudson Bay Company. He became Governor of the expanded colony of British Columbia when it was in danger of becoming part of the USA due to its popularity arising from the discovery of gold.

To the left is Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie, The first Judge of the Supreme Court of the Colony of British Columbia. Begbie traveled throughout the colony on horseback, dispensing justice where it was needed and upholding the laws during the tumultuous gold rush days.