13 Facts About James Dunsmuir

James Dunsmuir was a Canadian industrialist and politician in British Columbia.

James Dunsmuir served as the 14th premier of British Columbia from 1900 to 1902 and the eighth lieutenant governor of British Columbia from 1906 to 1909.

The James Dunsmuir family dominated the province's economy in the late nineteenth century and was a leading force in opposing organized labour.

James Dunsmuir managed his family's coal business from 1876 until 1910, increasing profits and violently putting down efforts to unionize.

James Dunsmuir used threats, spies, blacklists and scab labour to break strikes.

James Dunsmuir provoked further rage when he ordered workers to relocate their homes at a new pit.

Workers resented low wages and the dangerous conditions that James Dunsmuir imposed upon them.

James Dunsmuir contributed to the mines of British Columbia being among the most dangerous in the world.

James Dunsmuir entered provincial politics in 1898, winning a seat in the provincial legislature, and he became the 14th Premier in 1900.

James Dunsmuir's government attempted to resist popular pressure to curtail Asian labour and immigration, not for humanitarian reasons, but to ensure a cheap labour pool for business.

James Dunsmuir visited England and the United States in 1902, but disliked politics after his return and resigned as Premier in November 1902.

James Dunsmuir retired in 1909 and lived out his remaining years at the baronial mansion that he had constructed at Hatley Park.

James Dunsmuir is interred in the Ross Bay Cemetery in Victoria, British Columbia.