Francis Stillman Barnard

Francis Stillman ( "Frank" ) Barnard, KCMG ( born May 16, 1856 in Toronto, † April 11, 1936 in Victoria ) was a Canadian politician and businessman. As a member of the Conservative Party, he was from 1888 to 1896 deputy in the lower house. From 1914 to 1919 he was vice- governor of the province of British Columbia.

Biography

Barnard moved in 1860 with his mother to British Columbia. Father Francis Jones Barnard was a year earlier pulled out during the Cariboo gold rush there and had founded a transport company. The B.C. Express Company (also known as Barnard 's Express ) obtained in the following years a dominant position in horse drawn vehicle transport from the coast to the interior of British Columbia. His son, Francis, he sent for training to Victoria and London ( Ontario).

1873 Barnard returned back to British Columbia to assist his father in the company. When he suffered a heart attack in 1880, he took over the management. He expanded into the areas of river navigation, real estate development, mining, wood processing and animal husbandry, making him one of the wealthiest people in the province. 1886 and 1887 he was a member of the City Council of Victoria.

In a by-election in District Cariboo he ran in 1888 successfully for a seat in the House. He supported the government of Sir John A. Macdonald and actively promoted the rapid settlement and development of the province. In 1896 he retired from politics and was in the following year the founders of the tram and electricity company British Columbia Electric Railway (later BC Hydro ), whose board he took over.

Governor General Prince Arthur Paterson sworn in on 14 December 1914 as Vice- Governor of British Columbia. This representative office he held until 18 December 1919. His younger brother, George Henry Barnard (1868-1954) was also a Member of Parliament in the House and Senator.