Charles Edward Pooley, KC (February 8, 1845 – March 28, 1912) was a lawyer 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 ...

, Canada. He represented

Esquimalt The Township of Esquimalt () is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the east by the provincial capital, Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria, to the south by the Strait of Jua ...

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 1882 to 1906 as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

. He was born in Upwood,

Huntingdonshire Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a local government district in Cambridgeshire, England, which was historically a county in its own right. It borders Peterborough to the north, Fenland to the north-east, East Cambridgeshire to the e ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, the son of Thomas Pooley and Sarah Brighty, and was educated in England. He came to Victoria, then capital of the

Colony of Vancouver Island The Colony of Vancouver Island, officially known as the Island of Vancouver and its Dependencies, was a Crown colony of British North America from 1849 to 1866, after which it was united with the mainland to form the Colony of British Columbia. ...

, in 1862. Pooley was named deputy Registrar General of the

Supreme Court of British Columbia The Supreme Court of British Columbia is the superior trial court for the province of British Columbia, Canada. The Court hears civil and criminal law cases as well as appeals from the Provincial Court of British Columbia. There are 90 judici ...

in 1863 and later was Registrar General until 1879. In 1869, he married Elizabeth, the daughter of William Fisher. He was admitted to the British Columbia bar in 1877 and practised in partnership with A. E. B. Davie. Pooley was named

King's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

in 1888 and served as Treasurer (chief elected officer) of the Law Society of British Columbia from 1892 to 1894 and from 1897 to 1912. He was Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1887 to 1889, when he was named president of the Executive Council. Although there was no formal party system in British Columbia prior to 1903, Pooley is identified as a "Conservative" in 1883. He was president of the Executive Council until 1902, when he again served as speaker until 1906. He was defeated by John Jardine when he ran for reelection in 1907. He became wealthy attending to the legal business of the Dunsmuir interests. Pooley died in Victoria at the age of 67.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pooley, Charles E Speakers of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 1845 births 1912 deaths Canadian King's Counsel