Alston, E. Graham
b. 1832-09-06
d. 1872-11-12
Called to the bar as a lawyer in London in 1857, Alston arrived in Victoria in 1859 and was appointed registrar of titles for Vancouver Island in 1861.1 A member of the Legislative Council for Vancouver Island in 1861-62 and again for the united colony during 1868-1871, Alston disapproved of more democratic forms of government. After the colonies united in 1866, he confided his pleasure in having got rid of the House of Apes, the Assembly of Vancouver Island.2 When British Columbia joined confederation in 1871, he requested that the imperial government transfer him since he could see no hope of preferment within the Colony, inasmuch as a Responsible form of Government has been established, in which all vacancies will be filled by the political friends of the ministry of the day.3 He left British Columbia in August 1871 and served as queen’s advocate in Sierra Leone for a year before succumbing to African fever.4
  • 1. Dorothy Blakey Smith, Alston, Edward Graham, Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
  • 2. Ibid.
  • 3. Ibid.
  • 4. Ibid.
Mentions of this person in the documents
The Colonial Despatches Team. Alston, E. Graham. The Colonial Despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871, Edition 2.0, ed. The Colonial Despatches Team. Victoria, B.C.: University of Victoria. https://bcgenesis.uvic.ca/alston_e.html.

Last modified: 2020-03-30 13:22:16 -0700 (Mon, 30 Mar 2020) (SVN revision: 4193)