This section is from the year 1906, authored by R.E. Gosnell and published by the Lewis Publishing Co. in Victoria. It is no longer held under copyright.

GEORGE LAWSON MILNE, M. D., J. P.

George Lawson Milne, M. D., an ex-member of the provincial parlia- ment, for the past quarter of a century a prominent medical practitioner in Victoria, and also a leader in business circles and closely identified with public affairs, has put his talents to use in many ways for his own advancement and for the advantage of his province and his fellow men.

He is a Scotchman by birth, having been born in the town of Garmouth, Morayshire, April 19, 1850. His ancestral line goes back many generations in Scotland. His parents were Alexander and Isabella (Ingils) Milne, both natives of that country. The Milnes were very prominent Scotch Presbyter- ians, and Dr. Milne's father was an elder and a deacon after the disruption of the church in 1845. The father followed merchandising in the old country, and in 1857 emigrated to Ontario, dying in Meaford in that province, when in the eighty-fourth year of his life. A successful business man and merchant, he was likewise everywhere honored for his probity of character and useful- ness in church and society. His wife died at the age of seventy- four years, and they had been the parents of eleven children, six sons and five daughters. The oldest son, the late Alexander Milne, C. M. G., was for many years col- lector of customs in Victoria, and his death occurred on the 17th of January, 1904.

Dr. Milne is now the only member of the family in the province of Brit- ish Columbia. He was seven years old when brought across the waters to Canada, and he was reared and received his early education at Meaford. He later took up the study of medicine, receiving the degree of M. D. from the Toronto University and the degree of M. D. C. M. from the Victoria Univer- sity, after which he immediately entered upon the practice of his profession. He has gained an enviable reputation in his work, and has a profitable practice. He was health officer for the city of Victoria from 1886 to 1892, dur- ing which time he took a hvely interest in the question of a proper sewage system, and has written several able articles on the " Separate System of Sewage," also an article on " Modified Typhoid Fever," besides other subjects.

During his residence in Victoria he has been especially interested in public affairs. For the advancement of the cause of education he served for a number of years on the school board, and the school system of the city has been effectively aided by him. He was among the first to take steps look- ing to providing a new medical act for the province, and since the organiza- tion of the medical council he was registrar and secretary for many years, as well as a medical examiner for that body. Dr. Milne's political alignment has always been with the Liberals, and he represented the city of Victoria in the local legislature from 1900 to 1904. In 1896 he contested, but unsuccess- fully, the constituency of Victoria city and district for the Dominion house of parliament. At present Dr. Milne is medical inspector and immigration agent at Victoria for the Dominion government, and is a justice of the peace in and for the province of British Columbia.

Dr. Milne has been a valuable factor in business affairs, notwithstanding his activity in professional work. It is to his credit that the Vancouver Gas Company was instituted, and he served as president of the company for some years. He is a director and president of the Nanaimo Gas Company. He is president of the Ramsey Brothers and Company, biscuit and candy manu- facturers, whose large factory is located at Vancouver, and is also a director of the National Life Assurance Company of Canada, with head office in To- ronto, Canada. For a number of years he was president of the Liberal Asso- ciation of Victoria. Dr. Milne is a prominent Mason, and has taken the blue lodge, the Royal Arch and Knight Templar degrees, and is also a member of the Independent Order of Foresters. His church connections are with the St. Andrew's Presbyterian church, of which he is a valued member.

Dr. Milne was married in 1882 to Miss Ellen Catherine Kinsman, who is a native of Victoria and a daughter of Alderman John Kinsman, of that city. The Milne home is one of the most delightful in Victoria ; it is known as " Pinehurst," located on the Dallas road, and its beauty and charm are appreciated by scores of friends.