Dunsmuir, Robert National Historic Person
Victoria, British Columbia
Dunsmuir, Robert
© Parks Canada
Address :
1050 Joan Crescent, Victoria, British Columbia
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1971-10-14
Life Date:
1825 to 1889
Other Name(s):
-
Dunsmuir, Robert
(Designation Name)
Importance:
Discovered coal near Nanaimo (1869), began commercial empire
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: Craigdarroch 1050 Joan Crescent, Victoria, British Columbia
Born into a family of Ayrshire coalmasters, Robert Dunsmuir achieved renown as a leading Canadian businessman. He developed the Wellington Mine near Nanaimo, which soon made him one of the richest men in Canada and, through his labour practices, one of the most controversial. Dunsmuir's commercial empire expanded to include railways, shipping, lumbering and iron works. Dunsmuir was elected to the British Columbia legislature for Nanaimo in 1882, and named president of the Executive Council in 1886. He died before the completion of his imposing mansion, Craigdarroch Castle.