John Tod was a Hudson's Bay Company Chief Trader born in Dunbartonshire, Scotland. In
1849, Tod arrived at
Victoria and, two years later, bought 100 acres to farm in
Oak Bay. He was elected a Member of Council by
Governor Richard Blanshard in
1851 and eventually became Deputy Governor of
Vancouver Island. Tod officially retired from HBC in
June 1852 and served in the Legislative Council of
Vancouver Island until
October 1858.
Tod began his career with HBC at the Trout Lake post in the Severn District in
1811, moving north and west over the next decade. In
1823, Tod made the three-month journey west from the prairies to McLeod Lake. Between
1823 and
1826, Tod moved between posts in
British Columbia, and finally settled in
Fort McLeod, where he served the winter season alongside
James Douglas. After receiving his commission as chief trader in
1834, he was granted a year's leave, during which he sailed to London. On the vessel,
he met his soon-to-be wife, Eliza Yardley. Upon his return, Tod reassumed his position
and regularly moved around the Pacific Northwest. After a stressful few years in
Thompson's River Post and the mental deterioration of his first wife, Tod took a leave of absence
from HBC from
1850-1852 on account of ill health.
Tod married three times and had children with each wife, including seven children
with his third wife, Sophia Lolo, whom he settled with after his retirement. The house that Tod built in
1851 on his
Oak Bay farm remains and is designated a heritage house.