1903 British Columbia general election

The 1903 British Columbia general election was the tenth general election for the Canadian province of British Columbia. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia (MLAs). The election was called on September 5, 1903, and held on October 3, 1903. The new legislature met for the first time on November 26, 1903.

This was the first election in British Columbia that was fought by political parties. Prior to this election, British Columbia politics were non-partisan.

The first election was dominated by the BC Conservative and Liberal parties, which were affiliated with existing parties at the federal level.

The Conservative Party won over 46% of the popular vote and a slim majority of the seats in the legislature.

An act was passed in 1902 to provide for an Assembly of 42 members, of which 31 were elected in single-member districts. Of the multi-member districts, Cariboo returned two MLAs, Victoria City four, and Vancouver City five. Each voter could cast as many votes as there were seats to fill in the multi-member districts.

Results
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Political party ! rowspan="2" | Party leader ! colspan="2" | MLAs ! colspan="2" | Votes ! Candidates !1903 !# !%


 * style="text-align:left;"|Richard McBride
 * 41 || 22 || 27,913 || 46.43%


 * style="text-align:left;"|James Alexander MacDonald
 * 39 || 17 || 22,715 || 37.78%


 * style="text-align:left;"|
 * 10 || 2 || 4,787 || 7.96%


 * style="text-align:left;"|
 * 5 || 1 || 4,421 || 7.36%

! colspan="3" style="text-align:left;" | Total ! 60,120 ! 100.00%
 * style="text-align:left;"|
 * 1 || – || 284 || 0.47%
 * 95
 * 42
 * style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2" colspan="3" |Acclamations
 * style="text-align:left;" | ||1
 * style="text-align:left;" | ||1
 * }
 * style="text-align:left;" | ||1
 * }

Results by riding
The following MLAs were elected:

{{legend|#A51B12|Alberni: William Wallace Burns McInnes}} {{legend|#294296|Atlin: Henry Esson Young}} {{legend|#A51B12|Cariboo: Harry Jones}} {{legend|#A51B12|Cariboo: James Murphy}} {{legend|#A51B12|Chilliwhack: Charles William Munro}} {{legend|#A51B12|Columbia: Wilmer Cleveland Wells}} {{legend|#294296|Comox: Robert Grant}} {{legend|#A51B12|Cowichan: John Newell Evans}} {{legend|#A51B12|Cranbrook: James Horace King}} {{legend|#A51B12|Delta: John Oliver}} {{legend|#294296|Dewdney: Richard McBride}} {{legend|#294296|Esquimalt: Charles Edward Pooley}} {{legend|#294296|Fernie: William Roderick Ross}} {{legend|#294296|Grand Forks: George Arthur Fraser}}

{{legend|#A51B12|Greenwood: John Robert Brown}} {{legend|#A51B12|The Islands: Thomas Wilson Paterson}} {{legend|#294296|Kamloops: Frederick John Fulton}} {{legend|#294296|Kaslo: Robert Francis Green}} {{legend|#294296|Lillooet: Archibald McDonald}} {{legend|#FFD700|Nanaimo City: James Hurst Hawthornthwaite}} {{legend|#294296|Nelson City: John Houston}} {{legend|#FFD700|Newcastle: Parker Williams}} {{legend|#294296|New Westminster City: Thomas Gifford}} {{legend|#294296|Okanagan: Price Ellison}} {{legend|#294296|Revelstoke: Thomas Taylor}} {{legend|#294296|Richmond: Francis Lovett Carter-Cotton}} {{legend|#A51B12|Rossland City: James Alexander MacDonald}} {{legend|#A51B12|Saanich: Henry Ernest Tanner}}

{{legend|#294296|Similkameen: Lytton Wilmot Shatford}} {{legend|#294296|Skeena: Charles William Digby Clifford}} {{legend|#EEBBBB|Slocan: William Davidson}} {{legend|#294296|Vancouver City: Charles William John Bowser}} {{legend|#294296|Vancouver City: James Ford Garden}} {{legend|#294296|Vancouver City: Alexander Henry Boswell MacGowan}} {{legend|#294296|Vancouver City: Robert Garnett Tatlow}} {{legend|#294296|Vancouver City: Charles Wilson}} {{legend|#A51B12|Victoria City: William George Cameron}} {{legend|#A51B12|Victoria City: Robert Low Drury}} {{legend|#A51B12|Victoria City: Richard Hall}} {{legend|#A51B12|Victoria City: James Dugald McNiven (L-L)}} {{legend|#A51B12|Yale: Stuart Alexander Henderson}} {{legend|#294296|Ymir: Harry Wright}}