Robert Dunsmuir

Role: Coal baron and MLA
Date of birth: 31 Aug 1825
Date of death: 12 Apr 1889
Cause of death: Kidney disease
Age at death: 63
Robert Dunsmuir founded and owned what was one the largest coal mining business on Vancouver Island, R. Dunsmuir & Sons.
Dunsmuir was born in Scotland on August 31st, 1825, and came to Canada and moved to Nanaimo in 1853 with his wife (Joanna Oliver White) and children. After working as a contract miner, Dunsmuir staked his own coal claim and formed Dunsmuir, Diggle & Company in 1870. He would later pay out his business partner and the company became R. Dunsmuir & Sons in 1883.
In addition to his coal mining industry, Robert Dunsmuir was also a key stakeholder in the E & N Railway, and was the MLA for Nanaimo from 1882-1886.