Theodore Davie (March 22, 1852 in

Brixton Brixton is an area of South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th century ...

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 ...

– March 7, 1898 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 ...

) 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 ...

lawyer, politician, and jurist. He practised law in Cassiar and

Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city of about 100,000 on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. "The Harbour City" was previously known as the "Hub City", which was attributed to its original layout design with streets radiating fr ...

before settling in Victoria and becoming a leading criminal lawyer. He was the brother of

Alexander Edmund Batson Davie Alexander Edmund Batson Davie, QC, referred to as A. E. B. Davie (November 24, 1847 – August 1, 1889), was the eighth premier of British Columbia. He served in office from 1887 until his death in 1889. Called to the bar in 1873, he was the ...

, who served as premier of British Columbia from 1887 to 1889. Theodore Davie was first 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 1882. In 1889, he became

attorney-general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

under

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 ...

John Robson, and succeeded Robson as premier in 1892. Davie's government passed a ''Redistribution Bill'' to give the mainland of the province greater representation in the legislature. His government also provided financial incentives to the railways in an effort to stimulate the economy. The Davie government also approved the construction of the province's parliament buildings in Victoria despite pressure to move the capital to the mainland. Davie served as premier until 1895 when he resigned to become Chief Justice 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 ...

succeeding the province's first Chief Justice, Sir

Matthew Baillie Begbie Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie (9 May 1819 – 11 June 1894) was a British lawyer, politician, and judge. In 1858, Begbie became the first Chief Justice of the Crown Colony of British Columbia in colonial times and in the first decades after Br ...

. Theodore Davie is interred in the Ross Bay Cemetery in

References

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''Encyclopedia of British Columbia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davie, Theodore 1852 births 1898 deaths Premiers of British Columbia Judges in British Columbia English emigrants to pre-Confederation British Columbia People from Brixton Attorneys general of British Columbia Lawyers in British Columbia