"In 1863 Governor Douglas was deservedly knighted . . .At his retirement a grand banquet was given in his honor, Everybody knew Sir James and respected him, . . .He was a very self-contained man rarely giving his confidence to anyone, and to me scarcely ever. . .Of his bravery, courage, boldness and sagacity there is no question; he inspired respect carried himself with dignity natural to him . . .The Indians loved him, looked on him as a father or friend and felt certain of favor and justice at his hands; so much so that his name and character extended from one end of the coast to the other and to the Interior likewise." John S. Helmcken (BCARS: ADD.MSS. 505, v.12)

Governor of Vancouver Island

In 1843 Douglas, the Chief Agent of the Hudson's Bay company, began to construct a new Company depot named "Victoria", for the new queen of England. Richard Blanchard, the man chosen by the crown to be the colony's first governor resigned, so Douglas was chosen in his place. The Law of London ruled that Douglas and his small council, initially appointed by Blanshard, lacked power to legislate. In the spring of 1856, Douglas received instructions from the Colonial Office to arrange immediately for the election of an assembly. The prospect of doing so filled Douglas with dismay; he pleaded that he had "a very slender knowledge of legislation' and was "without legal advice or intelligent assistance of any kind" but he arranged for some of the seats, and his son in law John S. Helmcken was persuaded enter into local politics. By 1858 Douglas was appointed Governor of the new colony of Vancouver Island.

Governor of British Columbia

Douglas assumed that Fort Langley would be chosen as the site of the colony's capital. Instead, in January 1859, Col. Richard Clement, RE decided that a site on the North Bank of the Fraser (New Westminster) would be the best site for strategic reasons. Douglas disagreed, feeling that Victoria would make the best administrative center. He seldom visited the mainland colony, and its citizens demanded (despite its granting of municipal self government in 1860), that they have a resident governor and political reform.

As governor of BC, Douglas was chiefly concerned with the welfare of the miners. He relied on his gold commissioners to lay out reserves for the Indians, and thus eliminate the threat of warfare, to record mining and land claims and to adjudicate mining disputes. For the gold colony he devised land policy's to help in BC's adjust from rugged wilderness to a new booming economy from the wealth from the gold fields.

In December 1858 Douglas had been made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in recognition of his service as governor of Vancouver Island. In 1863, when he closed his term of office as governor of both Vancouver Island and British Columbia, he was Knighted.

CLASSROOM SUGGESTION:

ELEMENTARY AND JUNIOR HIGHSCHOOL:

Have each child in the class try and research a street name in their city (it could be the street that their house is on). Perhaps draw the street sign as a poster, with information on who, or what special event it was named for.

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