5th Parliament of British Columbia
# 5th Parliament of British Columbia

The 5th Legislative Assembly of British Columbia sat from 1887 to 1890. The members were elected in the British Columbia general election held in July 1886. William Smithe formed a government. Following his death in May 1887, Alexander Edmund Batson Davie became premier. After Davie died in 1889, John Robson became premier.

There were four sessions of the 5th Legislature:

| Session | Start | End |
| - | - | - |
| 1st | January 24, 1887 | April 7, 1887 |
| 2nd | January 27, 1888 | April 28, 1888 |
| 3rd | January 31, 1889 | April 6, 1889 |
| 4th | January 23, 1890 | April 26, 1890 |

Charles Edward Pooley served as speaker from 1887 until 1889 when he was named to cabinet. David Williams Higgins succeeded Pooley as speaker.

## Members of the 5th General Assembly

The following members were elected to the assembly in 1886:

| Member | Electoral district | Party |
| - | - | - |
| George Cowan | Cariboo | Government |
| Robert McLeese | Cariboo | Opposition |
| Joseph Mason | Cariboo | Government |
| John Grant | Cassiar | Opposition |
| Anthony Maitland Stenhouse | Comox | Opposition |
| Henry Croft | Cowichan | Government |
| William Smithe | Cowichan | Government |
| David Williams Higgins | Esquimalt | Government |
| Charles Edward Pooley | Esquimalt | Government |
| James Baker | Kootenay | Government |
| Edward Allen | Lillooet | Government |
| Alexander Edmund Batson Davie | Lillooet | Government |
| Robert Dunsmuir | Nanaimo | Government |
| William Raybould | Nanaimo | Government |
| William Henry Ladner | New Westminster | Opposition |
| James Orr | New Westminster | Opposition |
| John Robson | New Westminster | Government |
| William Norman Bole | New Westminster City | Opposition |
| George William Anderson | Victoria | Government |
| Robert Franklin John | Victoria | Government |
| Robert Beaven | Victoria City | Opposition |
| Theodore Davie | Victoria City | Government |
| Edward Gawler Prior | Victoria City | Government |
| John Herbert Turner | Victoria City | Government |
| George Bohun Martin | Yale | Government |
| Charles Augustus Semlin | Yale | Opposition |
| Forbes George Vernon | Yale | Government |

Notes:

* ↑ Government candidates supported the Smithe administration
* ↑ opposed to the Smithe administration

## By-elections

By-elections were held for the following members appointed to the provincial cabinet, as was required at the time:

* Forbes George Vernon, Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works, elected June 4, 1887
* John Herbert Turner, Minister of Finance, elected September 1, 1887
* Theodore Davie, Attorney General, elected September 1, 1889

By-elections were held to replace members for various other reasons:

| Electoral district | Member elected | Election date | Reason |
| - | - | - | - |
| Nanaimo | George Thomson | January 3, 1887 | death of W. Raybould on December 3, 1886 |
| Cowichan | Henry Fry | May 5, 1887 | death of W. Smithe on March 28, 1887 |
| Comox | Thomas Basil Humphreys | December 30, 1887 | A.M. Stenhouse resigned his seat to join the LDS Church |
| Victoria City | Simeon Duck | January 25, 1888 | E.G. Prior resigned his seat to contest federal by-election |
| Victoria | James Tolmie | June 30, 1888 | R.F. John resigned his seat to become warden of provincial gaol in Victoria |
| Cariboo | Ithiel Blake Nason | November 26, 1888 | R. McLeese resigned his seat to contest federal by-electinn |
| Nanaimo | Andrew Haslam | June 14, 1889 | death of R. Dunsmuir on April 12, 1889 |
| Lillooet | Alfred Wellington Smith | September 21, 1889 | death of A.E.B. Davie on August 1, 1889 |
| New Westminster City | Thomas Cunningham | November 25, 1889 | resignation of H.N. Bole after being named to County Court of B.C. |

Notes:

* ↑ Acclaimed

## Other changes

* Lillooet (dec. Edward Allen, March 31, 1890)
