# Lillooet (electoral district)

The Lillooet electoral district was a riding (provincial constituency) in the Canadian province of British Columbia, centred on the town of the same name and with various boundaries. Originally with two members, the constituency was split into Lillooet West and Lillooet East in the 1894, 1898, and 1900 elections, with Lillooet West being recomprised as one riding (with only one member) in the 1903 election.

## Political geography

The riding was one of the first created in British Columbia, and at the time the town of Lillooet was one of the largest in the province (it is now one of the smallest). It was originally a two-member riding. It waRegistered Voters
| 5,933 (1952 list) | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 70.15% |
| $^9$ Preferential ballot; final count is between top two candidates from first count; intermediary counts (of 3) not shown |||||
analysis of preferential ballot - preferential ballot - 1st, 2nd, 3rd choices, respectively:
* Ashby, Herbert PC 452 - -
* Gordon Hudson CCF 1,372 1,420 1,694
* GIBSON, James Gordon LIB. 1,103 1,335 1,830
* Olafson, Frank Conrad SC 1,065 1,138 - s an essentially rural riding, spanning the southern Cariboo and the mountain country west of Lillooet and the northern part of the Fraser Canyon. It was succeeded by the Yale-Lillooet riding, which has been succeeded by Fraser-Nicola.

## Members of the Legislative Assembly

* Thomas Basil Humphreys - 1871-1875
* Andrew Thomas Jamieson - 1871-1875
* William M. Brown - 1875-1882 (Reform slate and from 1878 Opposition)
* William Morrison - 1875-1878 (Reform slate)
* William Saul - 1878-1882 (Opposition and from 1886 Government)
* Edward Allen - 1882-1890 (Opposition and from 1886 Government)
* Alexander Edmund Batson Davie - 1882-1890 (ran as Opposition, but from 1887-1889 sat as Premier)
* Alfred Wellington Smith 1890-1894 (Government)
* David Alexander Stoddart 1890-1894 (Opposition)
* see Lillooet West and Lillooet East for elections in 1894, 1898, and 1900
* Archibald McDonald 1903-1907 (Conservative)
* Mark Robert Eagleson 1907-1909 (Liberal)
* Archibald McDonald 1909-1924 (Conservative)
* Albert Edward Munn 1924-1928 (Liberal)
* Ernest Crawford Carson 1928-1933 (Conservative)
* George Matheson Murray 1933-1941 (Liberal)
* Ernest Crawford Carson 1941-1953 (Conservative)
* James Gordon Gibson 1953-1956 (Liberal)
* Donald Frederick Robinson 1956-1966 (Social Credit)

## Election results

Note: Winners of each election are in bold.
1st British Columbia election, 1871 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Independent | Thomas Basil Humphreys$^1$ | 45 | 44.12% | unknown |
| | Independent | Andrew Thomas Jamieson | 36 | 35.29% | unknown |
| | Independent | William Saul | 21 | 20.59% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 102 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 79.69% | | |
| $^1$ Often spelled "Humphries" in many contemporary histories. |||||||
British Columbia byelection: Lillooet, November 27, 1871 $^2$ :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Independent | William Chadwick | (2)$^3$ | (6.06%) | unknown |
| | Independent | Edward Kelly | (1)$^3$ | (3.03%) | unknown |
| | Independent | William Saul | (30)$^3$ | (90.91%) | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | (33) | (100.00%) | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | | |
| $^2$ To fill the seat-vacancy caused by the death of A.T. Jamieson 31 October 1872. |||||||
| $^3$ Incomplete returns. Numbers cited are from Cariboo Sentinel 28 December 1872. |||||||
British Columbia byelection: Lillooet, November 17, 1874 $^4$ :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Independent | William M. Brown | 51 | 32.90% | unknown |
| | Independent | Thomas Basil Humphreys | 56 | 36.13% | unknown |
| | Independent | William Saul | 48 | 30.97% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 155 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | | |
| $^4$ Resignations 26 September 1874 of T.B. Humphreys and W. Saul over a "dispute between the two gentlemen as to which represents the popular feeling of the district" (Victoria Colonist, September 29, 1874). |||||||
vte1875 British Columbia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Elected |
| | Reform caucus | William M. Brown | 53 | 26.37 | Y |
| | Reform caucus | William Morrison | 48 | 23.88 | Y |
| | Government | William Saul | 46 | 22.88 |
| | Reform caucus | John Martley $^5$ | 33 | 16.42 |
| | Reform caucus | George Dunne | 21 | 10.45 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 201 | 100.00 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 85.90 |
| $^5$ Captain Martley homesteaded at Pavilion around 1861/62. Ernest Crawford Carson and Robert Henry Carson, his neighbours, became MLAs and cabinet ministers in the 1930s in Lillooet and Kamloops respectively. |||||||
3rd British Columbia election, 1878 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Opposition | William M. Brown | 78 | 32.37% | – | unknown |
| | Government | John Martley | 39 | 16.18% | – | unknown |
| | Government | William Morrison | 47 | 19.50% | – | unknown |
| | Opposition | William Saul | 48 | 23.88% | – | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 241 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 78.01% | | |
4th British Columbia election, 1882 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Opposition | Edward Allen | 55 | 23.21% | – | unknown |
| | Government | William M. Brown | 28 | 11.81% | – | unknown |
| | Opposition | Alexander Edmund Batson Davie | 69 | 29.11% | – | unknown |
| | Government | Charles Nelson McLellan | 40 | 16.88% | – | unknown |
| | Opposition | William Morrison | 45 | 18.99% | – | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 237 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 63.37% | | |
British Columbia byelection: Lillooet, March 13, 1883 $^2$ :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Government | Alexander Edmund Batson Davie | Acclaimed | -.- % | – | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | n/a | -.- % | | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | | | |
| $^2$ Byelection caused by resignation of A.E.B. Davie upon his appointment to the Executive Council January 29, 1883. Date given is day of return of writs, as polling day was not necessary. |||||||
vte1886 British Columbia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Elected |
| | Reform caucus | Alexander Edmund Batson Davie | 93 | 30.10 | Y |
| | Reform caucus | William Allen | 65 | 21.03 | Y |
| | Independent | William Morrison | 57 | 18.45 |
| | Opposition | William Saul | 49 | 15.86 |
| | Unknown | William Livingstone | 45 | 14.56 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 309 | 100.00 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 77.25 |
6th British Columbia election, 1890 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Government | William Morrison | 60 | 22.39% | – | unknown |
| | Government | Alfred Wellington Smith | 89 | 33.21% | – | unknown |
| | Opposition | David Alexander Stoddart | 119 | 44.40% | – | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 268 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 55.37% | | |
7th General Election 1894
split to two ridings:
* Lillooet East
* Lillooet West
8th General Election 1898
* Lillooet East
* Lillooet West
9th General Election 1900
* Lillooet East
* Lillooet West
10th British Columbia election, 1903 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | Archibald McDonald | Accl. | --% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | -- | --% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | % | |
11th British Columbia election, 1907 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Mark Robert Eagleson | 123 | 51.68% | unknown |
| | Conservative | Archibald McDonald | 115 | 48.32% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 238 | 100.00% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 60.10% | |
12th British Columbia election, 1909 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Mark Robert Eagleson | 117 | 41.20% | unknown |
| | Conservative | Archibald McDonald | 167 | 58.80% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 284 | 100.00% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 79.11% | |
13th British Columbia election, 1912 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Stuart Alexander Henderson | 81 | 28.83% | unknown |
| | Conservative | Archibald McDonald | 200 | 71.17% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 281 | 100.00% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 71.98% | |
14th British Columbia election, 1916 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | John Bates Bryson | 269 | 47.61% | unknown |
| | Conservative | Archibald McDonald | 296 | 52.39% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 565 | 100.00% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 66.27% | |
vte1920 British Columbia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Conservative | Archibald McDonald | 339 | 47.48 |
| | Liberal | John Bates Bryson | 213 | 21.83 |
| | Soldier–Farmer | Ernest Crawford Carson $^6$ | 162 | 22.69 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 714 | 100.00 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 76.94 |
| $^6$ Brother of Robert Henry Carson, Liberal MLA for Kamloops. Both became cabinet ministers in their respective governments. Their father Robert Carson left Scotland at an early age, came west via the Oregon Trail came north for the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, then wound up homesteading in 1863 on Pavilion Mountain in the wake of the gold rush, founding one of BC's earliest ranches. |||||||
16th British Columbia election, 1924 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Albert Edward Munn | 626 | 42.56% | | unknown |
| | Provincial | Norman Joseph Paul | 522 | 35.49% | – | unknown |
| | Conservative | Archibald McDonald | 323 | 21.96% | | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 1,471 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 56.43% | | |
17th British Columbia election, 1928 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Conservative | Ernest Crawford Carson | 1,237 | 54.61% | unknown |
| | Liberal | Albert Edward Munn | 1,028 | 45.39% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 2,265 | 100.00% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 56 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 80.28% | |
18th British Columbia election, 1933 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Non-Partisan Independent Group | Ernest Crawford Carson | 705 | 33.51% | – | unknown |
| | Liberal | George Matheson Murray$^7$ | 927 | 44.06% | | unknown |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. | John Morrison Smith | 472 | 22.43% | | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 2,104 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 96 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 66.29% | | |
| $^7$ Publisher of Bridge River-Lillooet News and husband of Margaret Lally "Ma" Murray. |||||||
19th British Columbia election, 1937 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. | Robert Purvis Armstrong | 855 | 28.92% | unknown |
| | Conservative | Ernest Crawford Carson | 925 | 31.29% | unknown |
| | Liberal | George Matheson Murray | 1,176 | 39.78% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 2956 | 100.00% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 57 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 76.12% | |
20th British Columbia election, 1941 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | Expenditures |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. | Harry Grenfell Archibald | 841 | 31.75% | unknown |
| | Conservative | Ernest Crawford Carson | 1,017 | 38.39% | unknown |
| | Liberal | George Matheson Murray | 791 | 29.86% | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 2,649 | 100.00% |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 29 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 67.02% | |
vte1945 British Columbia general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Coalition | Ernest Crawford Carson | 1,143 | 51.42 |
| | Social Credit Alliance | John Fossmark Jacobsen | 296 | 8.82 |
| | Progressive Liberal | George Matheson Murray | 61 | 2.74 |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth | Charles Radcliffe | 823 | 37.02 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 2,223 | 100.00 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 21 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 63.19 |
22nd British Columbia election, 1949 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Coalition | Ernest Crawford Carson | 2,339 | 62.83% | – | unknown |
| | Social Credit Alliance | George Willis Lyons | 1,180 | 31.69% | – | unknown |
| | Independent | William Wallace O'Keefe | 204 | 5.48% | | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 3,723 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 125 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 77.94% | | |
23rd British Columbia election, 1952$^8$ :
| Party | Candidate | Votes 1st count | % | Votes final count | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Ernest Crawford Carson | 1,301 | 35.68% | 1,847 | 56.60% | unknown |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. | Gordon Hudson Dowding | 1,074 | 29.46% | 1,416 | 43.40% | unknown |
| | Independent | James Coleman Finch | 96 | 2.63% | - | -% | unknown |
| | Liberal | William Henry Okell | 725 | 19.88% | - | -% | unknown |
| | Social Credit League | Donald Frederick Robinson | 450 | 12.34% |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 3,646 | % | 3,263 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 254 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 77.94% | | |
| $^8$ Preferential ballot; final count is between top two candidates from first count; intermediary counts (of 4) not shown |||||||
24th British Columbia election, 1953 $^9$ :
| Party | Candidate | Votes 1st count | % | Votes final count | % | ±% |
| | Progressive Conservative | Herbert Ashby | 452 | 11.32 % | - | -% | unknown |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. | Gordon Hudson Dowding | 1,372 | 34.37% | 1,694 | 48.07% | unknown |
| | Liberal | Gordon Gibson, Sr. | 1,103 | 27.63% | 1,830 | 51.93% | unknown |
| | Social Credit | Frank Conrad Olafsen | 1,065 | 26.68% |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 3,992 | 100.00% | 3,524 | % | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 170 | | | | |
| Total Registered Voters | Total Registered Voters | 5,933 (1952 list) | | | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | 70.15% | | | | |
| $^9$ Preferential ballot; final count is between top two candidates from first count; intermediary counts (of 3) not shown |||||||
analysis of preferential ballot - preferential ballot - 1st, 2nd, 3rd choices, respectively:
* Ashby, Herbert PC 452 - -
* Gordon Hudson CCF 1,372 1,420 1,694
* GIBSON, James Gordon LIB. 1,103 1,335 1,830
* Olafson, Frank Conrad SC 1,065 1,138 -
25th British Columbia election, 1956 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. | Austin Kenneth Greenway | 907 | 23.13 | | unknown |
| | Social Credit | Donald Frederick Robinson | 2,055 | 52.41% | – | unknown |
| | Liberal | James Smith | 959 | 24.46% | | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 3921 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 58 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 72.97% | | |
26th British Columbia election, 1960 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Progressive Conservative | George M. Behrner | 336 | 7.84% | | unknown |
| | Liberal | Cyril Clyde Keyes | 923 | 21.54% | | unknown |
| | Co-operative Commonwealth Fed. | John Kendrick Macey | 1,331 | 31.06% | | unknown |
| | Social Credit | Donald Frederick Robinson | 1,695 | 39.56% | – | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 4,285 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 282 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 66.77% | | |
27th British Columbia election, 1963 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Henry Greer Castillou | 977 | 23.15% | | unknown |
| | Progressive Conservative | Thomas William Meagher | 702 | 16.64% | | unknown |
| | Social Credit | Donald Frederick Robinson | 1,425 | 33.77% | – | unknown |
| | New Democratic | Clare Skatfeld | 1331 | 31.06% | | unknown |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 4,220 | 100.00% | |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 53 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 65.33% | | |
In the 28th General Election in 1966, parts of the former riding of Lillooet became incorporated into the new riding of Yale-Lillooet, which has since been replaced by Fraser-Nicola

## Sources

Elections BC website - historical election data