Sir Richard McBride, (December 15, 1870 – August 6, 1917) was a

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 ...

politician and is often considered the founder of the

British Columbia Conservative Party The Conservative Party of British Columbia, commonly known as the BC Conservatives and colloquially known as the Tories, is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. It is the main rival to the governing British Columbia New Demo ...

. McBride was first elected to the provincial legislature in the 1898 election and served in the cabinet of James Dunsmuir from 1900 to 1901 as Minister of Mines. McBride believed that the

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's system of non-party government was unstable and hindered development. The

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appointed him the 16th

premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

in June 1903 and McBride announced that his government was a Conservative Party administration and would contest the upcoming election along party lines. On October 3, 1903, McBride's party, the

won the first provincial election to be fought along party lines with a two-seat

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 ...

. Richard McBride is interred in the Ross Bay Cemetery in

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Premier of British Columbia

The new Conservative government attempted to stabilize the economy by cutting spending and raising new taxes. It also introduced progressive reforms of the province's labour law. In 1909 McBride unveiled plans for a provincial university and promised to build more railway lines. The party won commanding majorities in the 1909 and 1912 elections, almost shutting the Opposition out of the legislature. McBride's Conservatives were aligned with the federal

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 ...

Robert Borden Sir Robert Laird Borden (June 26, 1854 – June 10, 1937) was a Canadian lawyer and Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942), Conservative politician who served as the eighth prime minister of Canada from 1911 to 1920. He is best known ...

and helped them take power in the 1911 federal election. On the first day of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the provincial government purchased and took possession of two submarines ( and ) to defend the province from the threat of German attack. As provinces are not constitutionally allowed to maintain militaries, they were quickly transferred by order to the federal government within 48 hours and entered service with the

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in August 1914. His government was also responsible for the creation of the province's first university, the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

, which opened its doors in 1915. The government's popularity waned as an economic downturn hit the province along with the mounting railway debts. McBride resigned on December 15, 1915, to become the province's representative in London, where he died in 1917. During his time as Premier, he also served as Minister of Education (1903 to 1904), Minister of Lands and Works (1903), Minister of Mines (1903 to 1915), President of the Council (1913 to 1915), and Provincial Secretary (1903 to 1904).

Legacy

The small community of McBride, British Columbia, was named after this premier during the time he was in office. Also named for the premier, the McBride River in northern British Columbia is a major tributary of the Stikine. Richard McBride Elementary School (now renamed to Skwo:wech Elementary School) in New Westminster was built in 1912 and replaced the Sapperton School nearby, after burning down it was rebuilt as the current school being completed in 1929. Sir Richard McBride Elementary School in Vancouver was named after him in 1911 during his tenure as Premier as well as McBride Park in Kitsilano on July 26, 1911. (During World War I the park was used for the cultivation of vegetables.) Mount McBride, a peak in Strathcona Park on Vancouver Island, is also named after the premier. Also named for him is McBride Boulevard in

New Westminster New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the cap ...

which is the western ramp for 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 ...

References

External links

*
Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''''British Columbia: From the Earliest Times to the Present, Vol IV (Biographical)'' by E.O.S. Scholefield and F.W. Howay (see pp. 5-6)
{{DEFAULTSORT:McBride, Richard 1870 births 1917 deaths Politicians from New Westminster Premiers of British Columbia British Columbia Conservative Party leaders British Columbia Conservative Party MLAs Canadian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Canadian people of Anglo-Irish descent Canadian people of Ulster-Scottish descent Canadian King's Counsel Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) 19th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

Premier of British Columbia

Legacy

See also

References

External links