Forbes George Vernon (21 August 1843 – 20 January 1911), Lieutenant (ret.)

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

, was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of the

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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 ...

from 1875 to 1882, and from 1886 to 1894, representing the riding of

Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...

. He ran for the constituency of Yale-East in 1894 following a redistribution, but was defeated by Donald Graham. He never sought provincial office again. Forbes George was the third of five sons born to John Edward Venables Vernon of Clontarf Castle in the north of

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, by his first wife Louisa Catherine Bowles. On 4 March 1863 Vernon wrote to the Colonial Office enquiring about land regulations in British Columbia, where free grants of up to were available to military settlers with at least the rank of captain. He arrived in British Columbia the following September, with his elder brother Charles Albert Vernon (1840–1906) and their friend

Charles Frederick Houghton Charles Frederick Houghton (27 April 1839 – 13 August 1898) was a Canadians, Canadian rancher, justice of the peace, politician and soldier. Military career Born in County Kilkenny, Ireland, Charles Houghton was commissioned into the 57t ...

. Vernon's original homestead of , near the city which bears his name, grew to become the 13,000 acre (53 km²) Coldstream Ranch, which he sold in 1891 to Lord Aberdeen. In 1876, he was named Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works in the provincial cabinet and served until 1878. He later served in the same cabinet post from 1887 to 1894. After retiring from politics, Vernon served as Agent General for the province of British Columbia in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

from 1895 to 1899. He was married at Victoria 11 September 1877 to Katie Alma Branks of California; she died 31 March 1885 and was buried at Victoria. They had two daughters: Gladys Louise (1878–1892); and Beatrice Alma Ashley (1881–????), who went on to marry Captain Montague Furber."Vernon of Coldstream". ''Burke's Colonial Gentry'', 1891; "Vernon of Clontarf". ''Landed Gentry of Ireland'', 1912. Vernon died in London in 1911. The northern

Okanagan The Okanagan ( ), also called the Okanagan Valley and sometimes the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is part of ...

city of Vernon was named after him.

References

External links

Biographical note at British Columbia Archival Information Network
* 1843 births 1911 deaths Politicians from County Dublin Vernon, British Columbia 19th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia Canadian ranchers Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation British Columbia 19th-century Anglo-Irish people {{BritishColumbia-MLA-stub