Thomas Wilson Paterson

Who was Thomas Wilson Paterson?

Thomas Wilson Paterson was a Canadian railway contractor, politician, and the ninth Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia.

Born in Darnel, Scotland, he immigrated to Canada with his parents.He was raised in Ontario. After moving to British Columbia in 1885, he helped to build the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway line on Vancouver Island. Paterson married Emma Elizabeth Riley in 1886. In 1895, he became general manager of the Victoria and Sidney Railway. Paterson was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in an 1902 by-election held following the death of John Paton Booth. In 1903, he was elected to the assembly for the riding of The Islands. In 1907, he was defeated when running for mayor of Victoria and was not re-elected to the Legislative Assembly in the 1907 election. From 1909 to 1914, he was the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. He retired in 1914 and died in 1921.