Simon Fraser Tolmie

Who was Simon Fraser Tolmie?

Simon Fraser Tolmie, PC was a veterinarian, farmer, politician, and the 21st Premier of the Province of British Columbia, Canada.

Tolmie had an impeccable pioneer lineage, which aided him in his political aspirations. He was the son of Dr. William Fraser Tolmie, a prominent figure in the Hudson's Bay Company and a member of both the colonial assembly of Colony of Vancouver Island and the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. His mother, Jane, was the daughter of John Work, a prominent Victoria resident, Hudson's Bay Company Chief Factor, and member of the former colony's assembly. Jane's mother was Josette Legace, a daughter of a Spokane mother and a French-Canadian trapper father. Born in Victoria, Tolmie spent his early life on his family's vast farm, Hillside. He graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 1891 and later became the Dominion Inspector of Livestock.

Tolmie entered federal politics in the election of 1917, becoming Unionist MP for Victoria City. He was returned in the subsequent four elections as a Conservative. Tolmie served as Minister of Agriculture in the governments of Sir Robert Borden and Arthur Meighen from 1919–1921, and in 1926.