Thomas Gifford (politician) explained

Thomas Gifford
Office1:Member of Legislative Assembly of British Columbia for New Westminster City
Term Start1:1901
Term End1:1916
Predecessor1:John Cunningham Brown
Successor1:David Whiteside
Birth Date:1 June 1854
Birth Place:Lockerbie, Scotland
Death Place:New Westminster, British Columbia
Party:Conservative
Spouse:Annie Stoddart

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

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 was defeated when he sought a sixth term in the Legislature in the 1916 provincial election.

He died in New Westminster at the age of 80 in 1935.[6]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Scholefield, Ethelbert O. S . British Columbia from the earliest times to the present. Vol. 4 . Howay, Frederic William . 395–96 . 1914 . 2009-12-11 . 2016-03-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031615/http://www.ourroots.ca/e/toc.aspx?id=9096 . dead .
  2. Web site: Search Results . BC Archives . 2009-12-11.
  3. Web site: Search Results . BC Archives . 2009-12-11 . 2019-12-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191215144754/https://search-bcarchives.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/sn-5942213/query/Births/find-adv+%20callnumber%3D%28%221892-09-102147%22%20%29%20AND%20microfilm%3D%28b13810%29%20++++ . dead .
  4. Web site: Search Results . BC Archives . 2009-12-11 . 2019-12-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191215144817/https://search-bcarchives.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/sn-5942213/query/Births/find-adv+%20callnumber%3D%28%221893-09-102146%22%20%29%20AND%20microfilm%3D%28b13810%29%20++++ . dead .
  5. Web site: Electoral History of British Columbia, 1871-1986 . Elections BC . 2011-07-27.
  6. Web site: Search Results . BC Archives . 2009-12-11.