The colonial despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871
Vernon, Forbes G.
b. 1843
d. 1911
Vernon was born near Dublin in 1843 and educated as a Royal Engineer. After his emigration
from Dublin in 1863, Vernon preempted a ranch in the Okanagan, near the present day town of Vernon. In this letter, Vernon inquires as to the quantity of land he is able to preempt in British Columbia as a British Subject.
In 1876, Vernon became the Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works and was consistently
elected for the position until 1894, as he was considered one of the most capable and public-spirited men ever chosen to office by the people
of this province. He lived in London from 1895 to 1899 as the British B.C. Agent General, then spent the remainder of his life in Victoria.1
1. R. E. Gosnell, A History; British Columbia. Victoria: Lewis Publishing Co., 1916, accessed September 16, 2015.