John Sebastian Helmcken
| John Sebastian Helmcken | |
|---|---|
The Hon. John S. Helmcken, photographed by William J. Topley, circa 1854.
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| Born |
June 5, 1824 London, England |
| Died | September 1, 1920 (aged 96) Victoria, British Columbia |
| Education | Guy's Hospital |
| Occupation | Physician, HBC trader, politician |
| Spouse(s) | Cecilia Douglas |
| Children | Four sons, three daughters: Amilia "Amy" Helmcken (Mrs. McTavish) James "Jimi" Douglas Helmcken Henry "Harry" Douglas Helmcken Edith Louisa "Dolly" Helmcken (Mrs. Higgins) |
| Parent(s) | Claus Helmcken Catherine Mittler |
John Sebastian Helmcken (June 5, 1824 – September 1, 1920) was a British Columbia physician who played a prominent role in bringing the province into Canadian Confederation. He was also the founding president of the British Columbia Medical Association.
John Sebastian Helmcken was born in London, England, the son of ethnically-German parents Claus Helmcken and Catherine Mittler. His education was at St. George's German and English school, and after apprenticing as a druggist and physician, at Guy's Hospital. He was hired aboard the Hudson's Bay Company's Prince Rupert as a ship's surgeon on its 1847 voyage to York Factory, Rupert's Land. After completing his certification at Guy's Hospital, he travelled to India and China. He had intended to join the Navy, but was persuaded instead to join the HBC in 1849 as a physician and clerk on to be stationed on Vancouver Island. On the long voyage, smallpox broke out aboard ship, but Helmcken handled the situation ably, and only a single life was lost.
Helmcken arrived on Vancouver Island in March 1850 and was posted first to Fort Rupert, where he was soon made a magistrate and tasked with resolving a dispute between the company and the coal-miners there, who wanted to join the California Gold Rush and had gone on strike. Six months later, Chief Factor James Douglas called Helmcken to Fort Victoria to attend the ailing Governor Richard Blanshard, and he settled there permanently. On December 27, 1852, he married Douglas' daughter Cecilia. Douglas was by that time the governor of the colony, and Helmcken had effectively joined what newspaperman Amor de Cosmos called disparagingly the "family-company compact".
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