Benjamin William Pearse (January 19, 1832 – June 17, 1902) was a public servant for the colonies of

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...

and of

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

. Pearse served on the Executive Council, which was the interim government in British Columbia after it joined the Dominion of Canada. Born in London, Pearse left England in 1851 to become a surveyor for the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trade, fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake b ...

at Fort Victoria on

.Cook, Ramsay, ed. ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography, Volume XIII, 1901-1910.'' Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1994, pg. 822. In 1855, he became a public servant and entered the employ of Vancouver Island. He became acting

surveyor-general A surveyor general is an official responsible for government surveying in a specific country or territory. Historically, this would often have been a military appointment, but it is now more likely to be a civilian post. The following surveyor gen ...

of Vancouver Island in 1859 and received the post permanently from 1864 to 1866, when Vancouver Island was united with British Columbia. In this capacity, he was a member of the colonial legislative and executive councils.Cook, pg. 822 He would also later serve as the surveyor-general and chief commissioner of lands and works for the united province from August 1871 to October 1872. He resigned from his posts as surveyor-general and chief commissioner of lands and works of British Columbia in 1872 to become the head of the British Columbia Department of Public Works, a post which he would retain until 1880. Allegations were brought against Pearse in May 1879 in the House of Commons of Canada by MPs

Thomas Robert McInnes Thomas Robert McInnes or (Gaelic) Tòmas Raibeart Mac Aonghais (November 5, 1840 – March 15, 1904) was a Canadian physician, Member of Parliament, Senator, and the sixth Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. He was the father of the ...

and

Arthur Bunster Arthur Bunster (1827 – October 8, 1891) was a Canadian entrepreneur and Member of Parliament. Bunster was born in Queen's County (now Laois), Ireland and was educated in Dublin, attending Trinity College. He came to Vancouver Island in 18 ...

over the construction of the

British Columbia Penitentiary The British Columbia Penitentiary (BC Penitentiary, commonly referred to as the BC Pen and the Pen) was a federal maximum security prison located in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada. The BC Penitentiary operated for 102 years, from 1878 u ...

.Cook, pg. 823 Though Pearse was found innocent of charges in an official investigation, they contributed to his resignation in July 1880. They were not the first charges of land abuse brought against Pearse; previously, allegations were made that Pearse had profited from the sale of territory during the

Fraser Canyon Gold Rush The Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, (also Fraser Gold Rush and Fraser River Gold Rush) began in 1858 after gold was discovered on the Thompson River in British Columbia at its confluence with the Nicoamen River a few miles upstream from the Thompson's ...

. Pearse had other varied interests as well. In 1855, he became a member of the first Canadian musical ensemble west of the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico in ...

. He was also closely tied with Britain politically and philosophically, and helped to form a branch of the British Empire Navy League in Victoria. Pearse was one of the earliest settlers of the Fernwood neighborhood in Victoria as well. Pearse died on June 17, 1902, of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal bl ...

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. T ...

. He left money to a wide variety of philanthropic organizations and other facilities, notably contributing to Victoria College and helping to bring about the foundation of the school's

board of governors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organi ...

References

*Makie, Richard
PEARSE, BENJAMIN WILLIAM

Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online The ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography'' (''DCB''; french: Dictionnaire biographique du Canada) is a dictionary of biographical entries for individuals who have contributed to the history of Canada. The ''DCB'', which was initiated in 1959, is ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pearse, Benjamin 1832 births 1902 deaths English emigrants to pre-Confederation British Columbia Politicians from Victoria, British Columbia Colony of Vancouver Island people Canadian surveyors Deaths from cancer in British Columbia Members of the Legislative Council of British Columbia Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia