Early life Born in his father's residence, Shore Cottage in
Magheramorne,
Larne,
County Antrim,
Ireland, the son of Robert Nelson, Esq. and Frances Quinn, he emigrated to
California in 1854. He arrived in
British Columbia in 1858, but unlike the horde of others who arrived in that year he had not come in pursuit of gold but to participate in the building of the colony as an English dominion. Eschewing the goldfields themselves, he founded the
B.C. & Victoria Express Company, which had the dominant share of the freight and travel market between
Victoria and
New Westminster and
Yale, with partner George Dietz, and also the lumbering firm Moody, Dietz and Nelson, the third partner of which was
Sewell Moody, which was the operating name of
Moodyville Sawmill Co. in what is now
North Vancouver. The freighting firm was sold off early on to
Frank Barnard Sr., whose
B.C. Express Company then became the leading firm for shipments and travel to and from the
Cariboo region
Political beginnings Although active in politics, he did not stand for office to the
Legislative Council until 1870 (for the colonial riding of New Westminster), by which time he had become one of the principal promoters of British Columbia's merger with the
Confederation of Canada. He was a member of the
Yale Convention, which ushered in BC's union with Canada, and was on the committee of that body charged with seeing the agreement come into effect. He was a member of the colonial
Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, and in 1871 was one of the first Members of Parliament from British Columbia to the
House of Commons, representing
New Westminster District. A
Liberal-Conservative, he was re-elected in
1872. He did not run in 1874. In 1879, he was appointed to the
Senate of Canada representing the senatorial division of
Barkerville, British Columbia. He withdrew from business in 1882, and in February 1887, married Emily Stanton, daughter of J.B. Stanton, Esq., of the
Canadian civil service. He and resigned his senate seat in 1887, when he was appointed
Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia. In 1892, he resigned as Lieutenant-Governor and returned to
England where he died the following March of
Bright's disease.
Family Hon Hugh Nelson, then a Senator married 17 September 1885 Emily Stanton, daughter of Isaac Brock Stanton and his wife, Maria Wilson. Emily was born and educated in Canada. The couple lived at 354 Cooper Street, Ottawa and Government House, Victoria during Hugh Nelson`s terms of office. He died in London, England on 3 March 1893. ==References==