Thomas Dufferin "Duff" Pattullo (January 19, 1873 – March 30, 1956) was a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd

premier of British Columbia The premier of British Columbia is the first minister and head of government for the Canadian province of British Columbia. Until the early 1970s, the title ''prime minister of British Columbia'' was often used. The word ''premier'' is derived ...

from 1933 to 1941 as a member of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

and served as the member of 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 ...

representing the riding of

Prince Rupert Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Duke of Cumberland, (17 December 1619 ( O.S.) 7 December 1619 (N.S.)– 29 November 1682 (O.S.) December 1682 (N.S) was an English-German army officer, admiral, scientist, and colonial governor. He first rose to ...

from 1916 to 1945.

Early life and early political career

Born in

Woodstock, Ontario Woodstock is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The city has a population of 46,705 according to the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 Canadian census. Woodstock is the seat of Oxford County, Ontario, Oxford County, at the head of the Thames River, On ...

, into a family of

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

ancestry, Pattullo's early career was as a journalist with two newspapers in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

: the ''Woodstock Sentinel'' in the 1890s, and as editor of the ''Galt Reformer'' in 1896. He got a job as secretary to

James Morrow Walsh James Morrow Walsh (22 May 1840 – 25 July 1905) was a North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) officer and the first commissioner of Yukon. Born in Prescott, Ontario, James Walsh was one of the original officers of the NWMP. Walsh served with the 2 ...

, the

commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...

of the

Yukon Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...

, where he stayed until 1902. In 1908, he moved to

Prince Rupert, British Columbia Prince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is located on Kaien Island near the Alaskan panhandle. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and has a population of 12, ...

and soon became mayor. He was elected to the provincial

legislature A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial power ...

in the 1916 election, and was appointed minister of lands in the Liberal government. Following the defeat of the Liberals in the 1928 election, Pattullo became Liberal Party leader, and

leader of the opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the Opposition (parliamentary), largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the ...

. In the 1933 election, with the Conservatives in disarray and not running any official candidates, Pattullo led the party back into government.

Premier of British Columbia

The Pattullo government, elected in the midst of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, attempted to extend government services and relief to the unemployed. In the 1937 general election, his government was re-elected running on the slogan of "

socialized In sociology, socialization (also socialisation – see spelling differences) is the process of internalizing the norms and ideologies of society. Socialization encompasses both learning and teaching and is thus "the means by which social and ...

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...

".Price, Christine
"A Very Conservative Radical": Reverend Robert Connell's encounter with Marxism in the BC CCF
Simon Fraser University MA Thesis, 2006 His government was unable to secure a

majority A majority is more than half of a total; however, the term is commonly used with other meanings, as explained in the "#Related terms, Related terms" section below. It is a subset of a Set (mathematics), set consisting of more than half of the se ...

in the 1941 election due, in part, to the rise of the

Co-operative Commonwealth Federation The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF; , FCC) was a federal democratic socialism, democratic socialistThe following sources describe the CCF as a democratic socialist political party: * * * * * * and social democracy, social-democ ...

. He was unwilling to form a

coalition government A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a government by political parties that enter into a power-sharing arrangement of the executive. Coalition governments usually occur when no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an ...

with the

Conservatives 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 civilizati ...

, so his Liberal Party removed him as leader and formed such a coalition despite his objections. Aside from his serving as Minister of Lands (1916 to 1928), Leader of the Opposition (1929 to 1933), and as Premier (1933 to 1941), during his time in the Legislature, Pattullo also served as Provincial Secretary (1927 to 1928), Attorney-General (1937 and again in 1941), Minister of Education (1941), Minister of Finance (1941), Minister of Public Works (1939), and Minister of Railways (1933 to 1937). Premier T. D. Patullo announced an agreement had been reached with the Federal Government for the acquisition of the Yukon Territory by British Columbia. British Columbia to Annex Yukon And Be Second to Quebec in Area; Agreement With Ottawa Will Add 207,076 Square Miles to Province--Dominion Will Pay $125,000 a Year for Five Years Toward Costs--Legislature Must Act Pattullo was vocal in his opposition to extending franchise to minority groups in the Province, both during and after his tenure as premier. The concern raised was that if Chinese Canadians or Japanese Canadians fight on behalf of Canada in WWII, these Canadians would return home and demand equal rights of citizenship.

Later life

In the 1945 election, Pattullo ran as an independent and lost his seat in the legislature and retired from politics. He died in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

in 1956. He is interred and rested in the Royal Oak Burial Park in

Honours

The

Pattullo Bridge The Pattullo Bridge is a through arch bridge that crosses the Fraser River and links the cities of New Westminster and Surrey in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia. It was named in honour of Thomas Dufferin Pattullo, the 22nd Premier of British ...

is named in his honour, as well as Prince Rupert's Pattullo Park, Mount Pattullo, the Pattullo Range in North Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, and the Pattullo Glaciers in that range.BC Names/GeoBC entry "Pattullo Range"
/ref> Calls have been made to rename the replacement Pattullo bridge in consideration of Pattullo's anti-Asian political decisions while Premier. The replacement bridge is due to be completed in 2024.

References

External sources

The Canadian Encyclopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pattullo, Thomas Dufferin Premiers of British Columbia Leaders of BC United BC United MLAs Leaders of the opposition (British Columbia) 1873 births 1956 deaths Canadian Presbyterians Canadian newspaper editors Canadian male journalists People from Woodstock, Ontario People from Prince Rupert, British Columbia 20th-century mayors of places in British Columbia 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia