John Robson (politician)
| John Robson | |
|---|---|
Hon. John Robson
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| 9th Premier of British Columbia | |
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In office August 2, 1889 – June 29, 1892 |
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| Monarch | Victoria |
| Lieutenant Governor | Hugh Nelson |
| Preceded by | Alexander Edmund Batson Davie |
| Succeeded by | Theodore Davie |
| MLA for Nanaimo | |
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In office October 15, 1871 – September 11, 1875 |
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| Preceded by | first member |
| Succeeded by | John Bryden |
| MLA for New Westminster | |
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In office July 24, 1882 – June 13, 1890 Serving with James Orr, William Henry Ladner |
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| Preceded by |
Wellington John Harris Donald McGillivray |
| Succeeded by | district abolished |
| MLA for Westminster | |
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In office June 13, 1890 – November 20, 1890 Serving with Thomas Edwin Kitchen, James Punch |
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| Preceded by | first member |
| Succeeded by | Colin Buchanan Sword |
| MLA for Cariboo | |
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In office June 13, 1890 – June 29, 1892 Serving with Joseph Mason, Samuel Augustus Rogers, Ithiel Nason |
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| Preceded by | Robert McLeese |
| Succeeded by | Hugh Watt |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 14, 1824 Perth, Ontario |
| Died | June 29, 1892 (aged 68) London, England |
| Political party | None |
| Spouse(s) | Susan Longworth (m. 1854) |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
John Robson (14 March 1824 – 29 June 1892) was a Canadian journalist and politician, who served as the ninth Premier of the Province of British Columbia.
Robson spent his early life as a merchant in southern Ontario and Montreal. In 1859, upon news of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, Robson moved west to the then Colony of British Columbia from Upper Canada. Unsuccessful at prospecting, Robson helped his brother, a Methodist minister, complete construction of a church in New Westminster, the capital of the new colony. He settled there, and evidently began to become known in reformist circles as an articulate advocate of responsible government, for he was shortly hired as editor of a new newspaper, The British Columbian. His advocacy of devolution of power from the colonial governor, Sir James Douglas, to a democratically elected assembly brought him into conflict with the august and autocratic Douglas. Douglas governed both British Columbia and the Colony of Vancouver Island from Victoria, and this absence incurred further complaint from Robson and his paper.
Robson joined forces with other colonial-era editors such as Amor De Cosmos in railing against the Governor and his officials, including Chief Justice Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie. In 1862, Begbie cited contempt of court charges against Robson during the Cottonwood Scandal for publishing an unproven allegation that the Chief Justice had accepted a bribe from land speculators. Robson served on the New Westminster town council in the 1860s before being appointed to the British Columbia Legislative Council.
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