Adam Swart Vedder (July 27, 1834 – October 8, 1905) was a rancher and political figure in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. He represented Westminster-Chilliwhack in the

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia () is the deliberative assembly of the Legislature of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The other component of the Legislature is the lieutenant governor of British Columbi ...

from 1897 to 1898. He was born in

Schenectady, New York Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...

, the son of Volkert Vedder and Agnes Swart, of

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

descent, and was educated there. In 1846, he moved to

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and then, in 1852, moved to

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

where he worked at transporting supplies to the mines. In 1860, he moved to British Columbia, where he was again involved in transporting goods. In 1868, he began ranching near Sumas. Vedder was married twice: first to Althea Dicker in 1877 and then to Elizabeth Jackman in 1894. He served on the municipal council and was also warden for

Chilliwack Chilliwack ( ) is a city of about 100,000 people and in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is located about east of the City of Vancouver in the Fraser Valley. The enumerated population is 93,203 in the city and 113,767 in the gr ...

township. Vedder served as postmaster from 1888 to 1894. He was elected to the assembly in an 1897 by-election held following the death of Thomas Edwin Kitchen. He did not seek a second term in office in the 1898 provincial election. Vedder died in Chilliwack at the age of 71. His first wife is said to have chosen the name for the town of

Sardis Sardis ( ) or Sardes ( ; Lydian language, Lydian: , romanized: ; ; ) was an ancient city best known as the capital of the Lydian Empire. After the fall of the Lydian Empire, it became the capital of the Achaemenid Empire, Persian Lydia (satrapy) ...

at random from her Bible.

References

1834 births 1905 deaths Politicians from Schenectady, New York American emigrants to pre-Confederation British Columbia American people of Dutch descent Canadian people of Dutch descent Independent MLAs in British Columbia 19th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia {{Independent-BritishColumbia-MLA-stub