De Cosmos, Amor National Historic Person
Victoria, British Columbia
Amor De Cosmos, 1874
© Topley Studio / Library and Archives Canada | Bibliothèque et Archives Canada / PA-026435
Address :
Victoria, British Columbia
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1938-05-19
Life Date:
1825 to 1897
Other Name(s):
-
De Cosmos, Amor
(Designation Name)
Importance:
Premier of British Columbia (1872-74), founded the British Colonist
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: On Bastion Square near Wharf Street, British Columbia
Amor De Cosmos (Lover of the Universe) was the name adopted by William Smith of Windsor, Nova Scotia, while in the California goldfields. In 1858 he arrived in Victoria and founded the opposition journal, the Colonist. For over two decades his irrepressible. pen and exuberant oratory championed the causes of responsible government and Confederation. He sat for Victoria in the Legislative Assembly (1863-74) and in the House of Commons (1871-82), and served briefly (1872-4) as provincial premier. Defeated in 1882, the stormy petrel of British Columbia politics retired from public life. He died in Victoria.