1824 (1)-1892 (2)
John Robson
John Robson was born in Perth, Ontario, Canada. (3) He moved to Western Canada for the Cariboo Gold Rush. (4) When the gold rush began to wane John turned his attentions to journalism. In New Westminster, John started the newspaper, the British Columbian. (5) John was elected mayor of New Westminster in 1866. (6) The election is evidence of John's charisma, since he was involved in a dispute with Chief Justice, Matthew Baillie Begbie, which involved name calling that got John put in jail for contempt of court. (7)
John had a strong opinion that British Columbia should join the Canadian Confederation. (8) When John's wish for Canadian union came true, he moved to Victoria, the new capital of British Columbia. (9) In Victoria, John became the editor of The British Colonist. (10) John was made a Premier of British Columbia in 1889. (11)
John's wife, Susan Robson nee Longworth, was also a Canadian and highly active Church member like John. (12) Indeed, Susan was the President of the Ladies Aid Society, (13) which was a volunteer fundraising organization by St. Andrew's women. (14)
The Robson family were one of five married couples listed on the first Communion Roll. (15) John was ordained an Elder in 1874 and was regularly elected as the chairman of the Board of Managers. (16) Most importantly, John was the chairman of St. Andrew's building committee for the new Church. (17) He was named as one of the Trustees of the property. (18) In 1889, John was honoured for his time and energies with the responsibility of laying the corner stone of the new St. Andrew's. (19)
While John enjoyed journalism, he was also a business man and invested in land, the British Columbia Gold and Silver Mills, and Mining Company which began accumulating wealth for him. (20 dic) The wealth John acquired was important to St. Andrew's, since John loaned $74,783 to the Church for construction of the new building. (21) The large loan caused difficulties at his death in 1892 when John crushed his pinkie finger in a cab door and succumbed to blood poisoning due likely to his weakening health. (22) St. Andrew's scrambled to repay John's loan following his death, which was still $60,791.72. (23) The scramble caused tensions to rise among the Board of Managers who desired to cut Reverend MacLeod's salary from $3,750 to $2,000. (24) Reverend MacLeod agreed to decrease his salary to $3,000, but the Board of Managers were unsatisfied and all quit. (25) Reverend MacLeod took a three month vacation from the stress, but when he returned he was forced to leave because the disagreeable attitudes that had worsened in his absence. (26) Robson's loan was finally repaid in 1906 much to the relief of the Board of Managers and congregation. (27)
Sources:
(1) W. R. Glover, "The Congregation Who Built the Church," in The Kirk That Faith BuiltThe Kirk That Faith Built: St. Andrew's on Douglas Street, 1890-1990. Published by the Session of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. Morriss Printing Company, Victoria, 1989. : St. Andrew's on Douglas Street, 1890-1990 (Victoria: Morriss Printing Company Limited, 1989), 49.
(2) Thomas L. Bartie, "Building the Kirk," in The Kirk That Faith BuiltThe Kirk That Faith Built: St. Andrew's on Douglas Street, 1890-1990. Published by the Session of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. Morriss Printing Company, Victoria, 1989. : St. Andrew's on Douglas Street, 1890-1990 (Victoria: Morriss Printing Company Limited, 1989), 38.
(3) Glover, "The Congregation Who Built the Church," 49.
(4) Ibid., 49.
(5) Ibid., 49.
(6) Ibid., 49.
(7) Ibid., 49.
(8) Ibid., 49.
(9) Ibid., 49.
(10) Ibid., 49.
(11) Bartie, "Building the Kirk," 28.
(12) Glover, "The Congregation Who Built the Church," 50.
(13) Ibid., 50.
(14) Bartie, "Building the Kirk," 29.
(15) Glover, "The Congregation Who Built the Church," 49.
(16) Ibid., 50.
(17) Bartie, "Building the Kirk," 25.
(18) Ibid., 27.
(19) Ibid., 28.
(20) Go To Source: Patricia E. Roy, "Robson, John," Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online, (Toronto: University of Toronto, 2000).
(21) Bartie, "Building the Kirk," 36-7.
(22) Ibid., 37.
(23) Ibid., 38.
(24) Ibid., 39.
(25) Ibid., 39.
(26) Ibid., 39.
(27) Ibid., 40.
