Helmcken House, adjacent to the Royal British Columbia Museum
Helmcken, a pioneer Hudson’s Bay Company doctor, played a leading role from 1856-71 in the colonial politics of Vancouver Island and British Columbia. A spokesman for those who thought Canada was too distant to make a union practical, he served on the 1870 Confederation delegation to Ottawa. A train trip across the US showed him that the railway to the Pacific promised by Canada could indeed bind the union.
John Sebastian Helmcken was born in London where he studied medicine at Guy's Hospital. He later became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons and a licensed apothecary. Helmcken arrived in Victoria in 1850 where he worked as clerk and physician for the Hudson's Bay Company. His wife, Cecilia, was a daughter of Governor James Douglas and his wife Amelia.
In 1856 Dr. Helmcken was elected to the first House of Assembly of Vancouver Island representing Esquimalt District, and was elected Speaker. He took part in the Confederation debates and in 1870 was a delegate to Ottawa to discuss terms of union with Canada. After traveling east by the Union Pacific Railroad, he stressed the importance of rail connections with Canada, and this became the main bargaining point before British Columbia joined Canada in 1871.
After Confederation Dr. Helmcken retired from politics and devoted himself to his medical practice. In 1888 he became the first president of the B.C. Medical Association with his son, Dr. James Douglas Helmcken, as secretary. He died at the age of 95. The property was bought by the provincial government and opened as a museum in 1941.
