Thomas Gifford (politician)

Thomas Gifford (June 1, 1854 – February 19, 1935) was a politician in British Columbia, Canada.

Thomas Gifford
Member of Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for New Westminster City
In office
1901–1916
Preceded byJohn Cunningham Brown
Succeeded byDavid Whiteside
Personal details
Born(1854-06-01)June 1, 1854
Lockerbie, Scotland
DiedFebruary 19, 1935(1935-02-19) (aged 80)
New Westminster, British Columbia
Political partyConservative
Spouse(s)Annie Stoddart

Born in 1854 in Lockerbie, Scotland, the son of William Gifford and Margaret Stewart,[1] he was educated there and apprenticed as a jeweller. He opened his own store in Lockerbie around 1876. In 1877, he married Annie Stoddart.[1] Thomas and his wife, along with sons William (b. 3 Jul 1878) and Thomas Stuart (b. 3 Jun 1880), emigrated to St. Paul, Minnesota in 1881.[1] Here, they had a daughter Margaret (b. 6 Apr 1882) and another son, James Stoddart (b. 26 Sep 1888), before moving again to New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada, where Gifford opened a jewelry store.[1] They had three more children - Julia Stuart (b. 8 Aug 1888[2]), Hugh Wilson (b. 29 May 1892[3]), and John Jardine (b. 25 Nov 1893[4]) - and lived the rest of their lives in New Westminster. Gifford served as an alderman for New Westminster, as well as a member of the school board, hospital board and Board of Trade.[1]

Thomas was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in a 1901 by-election held after John Cunningham Brown was named to cabinet, and was re-elected in 1903, 1907, 1909 and 1912.[5]

He died in New Westminster at the age of 81 in 1935.[6]

References
  1. Scholefield, Ethelbert O. S; Howay, Frederic William (1914). British Columbia from the earliest times to the present. Vol. 4. pp. 395–96.
  2. "Search Results". BC Archives. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
  3. "Search Results". BC Archives. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
  4. "Search Results". BC Archives. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
  5. "Electoral History of British Columbia, 1871-1986" (PDF). Elections BC. Retrieved 2011-07-27.
  6. "Search Results". BC Archives. Retrieved 2009-12-11.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.