View source for Robert Beaven

{{short description|Canadian politician (1836-1920)}}
{{for|the Australian footballer|Bob Beaven}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}

{{Infobox officeholder
| name          = Robert Beaven
| image         = Beaven_r.jpg
| caption       = Hon. Robert Beaven
| order         = 6th [[Premier of British Columbia]]
| term_start    = June 13, 1882
| term_end      = January 29, 1883
| predecessor   = [[George Anthony Walkem]]
| successor     = [[William Smithe]]
| monarch       = [[Queen Victoria|Victoria]]
| lieutenant_governor = [[Clement Francis Cornwall]]
| office1       = [[Legislative Assembly of British Columbia|MLA]] for [[Victoria City (provincial electoral district)|Victoria City]]
| term_start1   = October 16, 1871
| term_end1     = July 7, 1894
| predecessor1  = first member
| successor1    = [[John Braden (politician)|John Braden]]
| alongside1    = [[John Foster McCreight]], [[Simeon Duck]], [[James Trimble (Canadian politician)|James Trimble]], [[James W. Douglas]], [[Andrew Charles Elliott]], [[James Smith Drummond]], [[John William Williams (Canadian politician)|John W. Williams]], [[William Wilson (British Columbia politician)|William Wilson]], [[Theodore Davie]], [[Montague Tyrwhitt-Drake]], [[Edward Gawler Prior]], [[John Herbert Turner]], [[John Grant (Canadian politician)|John Grant]], [[George Lawson Milne]]
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1836|1|20|mf=y}}
| birth_place   = [[England]]
| death_date    ={{nowrap|{{Death date and age|1920|9|18|1836|1|20}} }}
| death_place   = [[Victoria, British Columbia|Victoria]], [[British Columbia]]
| party         = None
| spouse        = {{marriage|Susan Sibbald Ritchie|1866}}
}}

'''Robert Beaven''' (January 20, 1836 &ndash; September 18, 1920), son of [[James Beaven]], was a [[British Columbia]] politician and businessman. Beaven moved to British Columbia from [[Toronto]], where he had been educated at [[Upper Canada College]], because of the [[gold rush]]. He entered business in [[Victoria, British Columbia|Victoria]], which was then the capital of the [[Colony of Vancouver Island]]. After the colony's union with British Columbia, Beaven became involved with politics as secretary of [[Amor De Cosmos]]' [[Confederation League]] which advocated that the colony enter [[Canadian Confederation]].

Beaven was elected to the provincial [[legislature]] in 1871, the year of union with [[Canada]], and served in the [[Cabinet (government)|cabinets]] of De Cosmos and his successor [[George Anthony Walkem]] as chief commissioner of land and works. He was accused by the [[parliamentary opposition|opposition]] of corruption and was criticised for not opening up land for settlement quickly enough as well as running up the [[Government budget deficit|deficit]]. Beaven was in opposition during the government of [[Andrew Charles Elliott]] but rejoined the government when Walkem became premier for a second time in 1878 and became minister of finance and agriculture. Due to a shortage of revenues he instituted a [[Tax per head|poll tax]] in 1881.  In 1882 Beaven became premier of the province but many of his supporters were defeated in the subsequent July election and Beaven ruled with a [[minority government|minority]].

As Premier he hosted the three-month visit to British Columbia of the [[Governor General of Canada]], the [[John Campbell, 9th Duke of Argyll|Marquess of Lorne]], and his wife [[Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll|Princess Louise]], offering to make the princess Queen of [[Vancouver Island]]. She declined.

In January 1883 Beaven attempted to introduce a legislative program but his government was brought down by a [[Motion of No Confidence]] and he resigned on January 29, 1883.

Beaven remained an [[Legislative Assembly|MLA]] and [[Leader of the Opposition (British Columbia)|leader of the opposition]] until 1894 when he lost his [[Legislative seat|seat]] in an election after having served in the legislature for twenty-three years. He also served three terms as [[mayor]] of [[Victoria, British Columbia]] in the 1890s.

Following the 1898 election, no party had a majority and the [[lieutenant-governor]] [[Thomas Robert McInnes]] passed over the former premier [[John Herbert Turner]] and asked Beaven to form a government despite the fact that he had been out of the legislature for four years. Leading members of the legislature refused to support Beaven and he was unable to form a [[Cabinet (government)|cabinet]].

Beaven was married to Susan Sibbald Ritchie with whom he had two sons, as well as a daughter, who was married to the [[Royal Navy]] captain [[Stanley Venn Ellis]] and later remarried to the 2nd [[Viscount Churchill]] after the formers death at the [[Battle of Jutland]].

Robert Beaven died in 1920 and was interred in the [[Ross Bay Cemetery]] in Victoria.

== External links ==
*[http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=7196 Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online'']

{{BCPremiers}}
{{Mayors of Victoria, British Columbia}}
{{navboxes|title=Cabinet positions|list1=
{{Beaven ministry}}
{{Second Walkem ministry}}
{{First Walkem ministry}}
{{De Cosmos ministry}}
}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beaven, Robert}}
[[Category:1836 births]]
[[Category:1920 deaths]]
[[Category:Premiers of British Columbia]]
[[Category:Canadian Anglicans]]
[[Category:English emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario]]
[[Category:Mayors of Victoria, British Columbia]]
[[Category:Politicians from Toronto]]
[[Category:Immigrants to Upper Canada]]
[[Category:Colony of British Columbia (1866–1871) people]]
[[Category:Upper Canada College alumni]]
[[Category:English emigrants to pre-Confederation British Columbia]]
[[Category:19th-century mayors of places in British Columbia]]