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Thomas Gifford (politician)

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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
SpouseAnnie 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[citation needed]) and Thomas Stuart (b. 3 Jun 1880[citation needed]), emigrated to St. Paul, Minnesota in 1881.[1] Here, they had a daughter Margaret (b. 6 Apr 1882[citation needed]) and another son, James Stoddart (b. 26 Sep 1888[citation needed]), 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]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Scholefield, Ethelbert O. S; Howay, Frederic William (1914). British Columbia from the earliest times to the present. Vol. 4. pp. 395–96. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
  2. ^ "Search Results". BC Archives. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
  3. ^ "Search Results". BC Archives. Archived from the original on 2019-12-15. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
  4. ^ "Search Results". BC Archives. Archived from the original on 2019-12-15. 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.