Robert Beaven
Canadian politician (1836-1920)
Robert Beaven (January 20, 1836 – 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, 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.
Personal life
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.
Career
Beaven was elected to the provincial legislature in 1871, the year of union with Canada, and served in the cabinets of De Cosmos and his successor George Anthony Walkem as chief commissioner of land and works. He was accused by the opposition of corruption and was criticised for not opening up land for settlement quickly enough as well as running up the 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 poll tax in 1881.
The public source identifies “Robert Beaven” as canadian politician (1836-1920). This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Robert, Beaven and Canadian.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Robert Beaven”, the useful work is to connect “canadian politician (1836-1920)” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1765680. VIAF identifies the subject as 104475445. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1836, 1920, 1871 and 1878.
A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Robert Beaven”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Robert Beaven primary sources, Robert Beaven archive and Robert research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Robert Beaven”?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
- Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Robert Beaven” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.