# 2nd Parliament of British Columbia

The 2nd Legislative Assembly of British Columbia sat from 1875 to 1878. The members were elected in the British Columbia general election held in September and October 1875. The government of George Anthony Walkem was defeated on a confidence motion on January 25, 1876, and Andrew Charles Elliott was asked to form a new government. On March 29, 1878, a government bill to redistribute the seats in the legislature was defeated and the assembly was dissolved on April 12, 1878.
There were three sessions of the 2nd Legislature:
| Session | Start | End |
| 1st | January 10, 1876 | May 19, 1877 |
| 2nd | February 21, 1877 | April 18, 1877 |
| 3rd | February 7, 1878 | April 10, 1878 |
James Trimble served as speaker.

## Members of the 2nd General Assembly

The following members were elected to the assembly in 1875
| Member | Electoral district | Party | First elected |
| George Anthony Boomer Walken | Cariboo | Government | 1871 |
| Alexander Edmund Batson Davie | Cariboo | Independent Opposition | 1875 |
| John Evans | Cariboo | Independent Opposition | 1875 |
| George Cowan (1877) | Cariboo | Opposition | 1877 |
| John Ash | Comox | Government | 1871 |
| William Smithe | Cowichan | Reform | 1871 |
| Edwin Pimbury | Cowichan | Reform | 1875 |
| William Fisher | Esquimalt | Independent | 1875 |
| Frederick W. Williams | Esquimalt | Reform | 1875 |
| Charles Gallagher | Kootenay | Reform | 1875 |
| Arthur Wellesley Vowell | Kootenay | Reform | 1875 |
| William Cosgrove Milby (1876) | Kootenay | Government | 1876 |
| Robert Leslie Thomas Galbraith (1877) | Kootenay | Opposition | 1877 |
| William M. Brown | Lillooet | Reform | 1874 |
| William Morrison | Lillooet | Reform | 1875 |
| John Bryden | Nanaimo | Reform | 1875 |
| David William Gordon (1877) | Nanaimo | Independent Government | 1877 |
| William James Armstrong | New Westminster | Government | 1871 |
| Ebenezer Brown | New Westminster | Independent Government | 1875 |
| Robert Dickinson | New Westminster City | Independent Government | 1875 |
| Thomas Basil Humphreys | Victoria District | Reform | 1871 |
| William Fraser Tolmie | Victoria District | Reform | 1874 |
| Robert Beaven | Victoria City | Government | 1871 |
| James W. Douglas | Victoria City | Independent? | 1875 |
| Andrew Charles Elliott | Victoria City | Opposition | 1875 |
| James Trimble | Victoria City | Independent Government | 1871 |
| John Andrew Mara | Yale | Reform | 1871 |
| Robert Smith | Yale | Independent Government | 1871 |
| Forbes George Vernon | Yale | Reform | 1875 |
Notes:
* ↑ Government candidates supported the Walkem administration
* 1 2 3 opposed to the Walkem administration
* ↑ Independent candidate identified as supporting the Walkem administration

## By-elections

By-elections were held for the following members appointed to the provincial cabinet, as was required at the time:
* Thomas Basil Humphreys, Minister of Finance and Agriculture, acclaimed February 15, 1876
* Andrew Charles Elliott, Premier, elected February 22, 1876
* Forbes George Vernon, Commissioner of Lands and Works, elected March 11, 1876
* William Smithe, Minister of Finance and Agriculture, acclaimed August 14, 1876
* Alexander Edmund Batson Davie, Provincial Secretary, defeated by George Cowan on June 20, 1877
By-elections were held to replace members for various other reasons:
| Electoral district | Member elected | Election date | Reason |
| Kootenay | William Cosgrove Milby | August 24, 1876 | A.W. Vowell named Gold Commissioner for Cassiar |
| Nanaimo | David William Gordon | January 19, 1877 | J. Bryden resigned his seat to look after his business interests |
| Kootenay | Robert Leslie Thomas Galbraith | December 20, 1877 | death of W.C. Milby on October 26, 1877 |