b. 1821
Born in Lichfield, Staffordshire, in
1821, Alfred John Langley was appointed to the council of
Vancouver Island in
1861.
1 He became a prominent resident of
Victoria, running a local drug store and investing in real estate.
2 He also represented
Vancouver Island at the
1862 London world exhibition.
3When he first came to North America, Langley resided in
Nova Scotia, followed by New York. He moved to California with his brother,
Alfred James Langley, in
1849, and they established a pharmaceutical company. The brothers moved to
Victoria in
1858 and opened another drug store, Langley & co. Their shop, located on Yates Street,
supplied medicines, paints, and window glass.
4
In
1861, Governor
Douglas appointed Alfred John Langley to the Legislative Council.
5 In
1862, Langley returned to England to wed Mary Edwin.
Douglas took advantage of Langley’s already-planned trip and appointed him a seat on
Vancouver Island’s commission for the
1862 International Exhibition in London, describing him as a
man of business, a large property holder, and well acquainted with the resources of
the Colony.
6
While in England, Langley published A Glance at British Columbia and Vancouver’s Island in 1861. Focusing mainly on the known geography and broad economics of the area, Langley
slipped in a touch of his personal philosophy concerning work ethics. He remarked
that men not expecting to make their fortunes at once… are the most likely to succeed.
He further stated that feeling contented with little assists a man,
and that when others heard the amount of money he’d saved by the end of the season
by being frugal, they would call him lucky.
7
Langley later returned to
Vancouver Island, and, during the
1870s, worked on the Board of Education and was Justice of the Peace for
Vancouver Island. In
1887, Langley constructed a two-storey house on Fort Street to increase his revenue; his
son, William Henry Langley, lived there from
1900 to 1909. The house still stands on 1133 Fort Street,
Victoria, and is protected by the Victoria Heritage Foundation.
8
- 1. Douglas to Newcastle, 14 February 1861, 3648, CO 305/17, p. 79.
- 2. Donald Luxton, 1133 Fort Street, Victoria Heritage Foundation.
- 3. Douglas to Newcastle, 14 November 1861, 412, CO 305/17, p. 521.
- 4. Luxton, 1133 Fort Street, Victoria Heritage Foundation.
- 5. Douglas to Newcastle, 14 February 1861, 3648, CO 305/17, p. 79.
- 6. Douglas to Newcastle, 14 November 1861, 412, CO 305/17, p. 521.
- 7. Langley, Alfred John.A Glance at British Columbia and Vancouver's Island in 1861. (London: Robert Hardwicke, 1862), 44.
- 8. Luxton, 1133 Fort Street.