Colonial Despatches

John Boles Gaggin, magistrate, was born in County Cork, Ireland, in 1830 or 1831. After service with the Royal Cork Artillery, he decided to emigrate to British Columbia and arrived at Victoria on 10 April 1859.1 In June, James Douglas appointed him chief constable at Yale and in October magistrate and assistant gold commissioner at Port Douglas.2

On 23 November 1863, Douglas suspended Gaggin, on the grounds that he had been tampering with his accounts.3 Although exonerated of the charge on 12 December, Douglas did not remove the suspension until 3 March 1864. In January 1866 his position at Port Douglas was abolished and Gaggin was appointed magistrate for Kootenay, under the supervision of Peter O'Reilly.4 But in November of that year, Gaggin was dismissed from his post.5 He died on 27 May 1867 at Wild Horse Creek.6

• 1. Dorothy Blake Smith, Gaggin, John Boles, Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online.
• 2. Ibid.
• 3. Ibid.
• 4. Ibid.
• 5. Ibid.
• 6. Ibid.