George Anthony Walkem | |
|---|---|
 Hon. George Anthony Walkem in 1875 | |
| 3rd & 5th Premier of British Columbia | |
| In office February 11, 1874 – January 27, 1876 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Lieutenant Governor | Joseph Trutch |
| Preceded by | Amor de Cosmos |
| Succeeded by | Andrew Charles Elliott |
| In office June 25, 1878 – June 6, 1882 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Lieutenant Governor | Albert Norton Richards Clement Francis Cornwall |
| Preceded by | Andrew Charles Elliott |
| Succeeded by | Robert Beaven |
| MLA forCariboo | |
| In office October 16, 1871 – July 24, 1882 | |
| Preceded by | First member |
| Succeeded by | Robert McLeese |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1834-11-15)November 15, 1834 Newry, Ireland |
| Died | January 13, 1908(1908-01-13) (aged 73) Victoria, British Columbia, Canada |
| Political party | None |
| Spouse | |
| Cabinet | First Walkem ministry Second Walkem ministry |
George Anthony Walkem[a] (November 15, 1834 – January 13, 1908) was aBritish Columbian politician and jurist.
Born inNewry, Ireland, Walkem moved to thenColony of British Columbia in 1862 and served as a member of theColonial Assembly (Cariboo East and Quesnel Forks District) from 1864 to 1866 and the appointedLegislative Council (Cariboo) from 1866 to 1870. He was a supporter ofCanadian Confederation. With the admission of the colony intoCanada, Walkem was elected to the provinciallegislature from theriding of Cariboo in 1871 and becameattorney general in thecabinet ofPremierAmor De Cosmos and succeeded him to become the thirdpremier of British Columbia.
Walkem's government pressuredOttawa to meet its commitment to build a railway to the Pacific Ocean but was initially unsuccessful. Walkem fought the 1875 election facing charges that he had failed to secure railway construction and had increased the province's debts by engaging in expensive public works projects. The government was re-elected with a reduced majority but he was also accused of plunging the province into debt by engaging in public works that it could ill afford (seeLillooet Cattle Trail). Nevertheless, his government was returned, albeit with a reduced majority but grievances continued.
The Walkem government's financial difficulties mounted and his government lost aMotion of No Confidence in early 1876 and was replaced by a new government formed byAndrew Charles Elliott with Walkem becomingLeader of the Opposition. Elliot's government was unstable and collapsed within two years leading to early elections which allowed Walkem to form asecond government in 1878 as the fifth premier, with a comfortable majority.
The new Walkem government opposed "cheap Chinese labour" and inserted a clause banning the hiring of Chinese workers in all its contracts. The government also attempted to levy a special tax restricted to Chinese which was struck down by theSupreme Court of Canada. In the election campaign Walkem had threatened to lead British Columbia out of confederation if the federal government did not commence construction of the promised railway by 1879. The provincial government appealed directly toLondon resulting in the British government pressuring Ottawa to fulfill the deal.[citation needed]
In 1882 Walkem narrowly survived aMotion of No Confidence due to rising costs of a project to build a dock onVancouver Island but lost the subsequent election due to hostility from Islanders who had a disproportionate number ofseats in the legislature and thus were able to bring down the Walkem government.[citation needed]
Walkem was appointed to theSupreme Court of British Columbia upon retiring from politics in 1882, sitting on the court until his retirement in 1904.
George Anthony Walkem is interred in theRoss Bay Cemetery inVictoria, British Columbia.
| International | |
|---|---|
| People | |
| Other | |
.svg)
