Forbes Charles Austin Pelton (March 19, 1920 – February 19, 2003) was a 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 Dewdney 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 1983 to 1991 as a

Social Credit Social credit is a distributive philosophy of political economy developed in the 1920s and 1930s by C. H. Douglas. Douglas attributed economic downturns to discrepancies between the cost of goods and the compensation of the workers who made t ...

member. He was born in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, the son of Forbes Buel Pelton and Kathleen Francis Austin, and was educated in

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard In ...

and at Western University. In 1942, he married Louise Ratcliffe. Pelton was an alderman for Maple Ridge, also serving as mayor. He was a big band singer and

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

in the late thirties.Obituary
/ref> From 1941 to 1970, he served in the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

and

Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Cana ...

and retired as a Wing Commander (Lieutenant Colonel). Pelton was a member of the provincial cabinet in 1985 and 1986, holding the position of Minister of the Environment. He subsequently served as the deputy speaker of the legislative assembly.

References

1920 births 2003 deaths British Columbia municipal councillors British Columbia Social Credit Party MLAs Canadian jazz pianists Deaths from Parkinson's disease in Canada 20th-century mayors of places in British Columbia Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia Musicians from Vancouver Politicians from Vancouver Royal Canadian Air Force officers Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of World War II 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 20th-century Canadian pianists Neurological disease deaths in British Columbia {{SocialCredit-BritishColumbia-MLA-stub