Musgrave, Sir Anthony
b. 1828-08-31
d. 1888-10-03
Sir Anthony Musgrave arrived in British Columbia on 23 August 1869.1 He was governor of Newfoundland at the time, but after Governor Seymour passed away on 10 June 1869, Musgrave was appointed governor of British Columbia.2 Musgrave had put his best efforts into getting Newfoundland to join Canada, and, despite being unsuccessful there, he advocated strongly for BC to join Confederation from the moment he arrived.3 Musgrave and his delegates firmly negotiated beneficial terms for British Columbians if they were to join with Canada, the most important of which was Canada's commitment to the construction of a transcontinental railway.4 Two years after his arrival, in 1871, BC officially joined Confederation.5
Musgrave made integral changes to the nature of BC's government including the introduction of responsible government and the increase of public service workers salaries.6 He also made it a requirement for legislative candidates to have lived in the colony for at least three months, and to be able to read English.7 In 1871, Musgrave was awarded the Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George for his efforts.8
Musgrave attended grammar school in Antigua where he was born and studied law at the Inner Temple in London.9 His family had long held public office in Antigua, and shortly into his studies abroad he was made Colonial Secretary there.10 He soon was appointed governor of St. Vincent; and in 1864 he moved to North America and became governor of Newfoundland.11 After serving as governor of BC, Musgrave went on to govern many other colonies of the commonwealth including Natal, South Australia, Jamaica and Queensland, where he died in 1888.12
  • 1. Kent M. Haworth Musgrave, Sir Anthony, Canadian Dictionary of Biography.
  • 2. Ibid.
  • 3. Geoffrey Bolton Musgrave, Sir Anthony (1828-1888), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
  • 4. Ibid.
  • 5. Heritage Newfoundland & Labrador Musgrave, Sir Anthony (1828-1888), Memorial University.
  • 6. Bolton Musgrave, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography; Haworth Musgrave, Canadian Dictionary of Biography.
  • 7. Haworth Musgrave, Canadian Dictionary of Biography.
  • 8. Bolton Musgrave, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
  • 9. Haworth Musgrave, Canadian Dictionary of Biography; Bolton Musgrave, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
  • 10. Haworth Musgrave, Canadian Dictionary of Biography.
  • 11. Ibid.
  • 12. Heritage Newfoundland & Labrador Musgrave, Memorial University.
Mentions of this person in the documents
People in this document

Seymour, Frederick

Places in this document

Antigua

British Columbia

Jamaica

London

Newfoundland

Saint Vincent