The Honourable Sir Francis (Frank) Stillman Barnard was born in Toronto in 1856 and moved to British Columbia as a child with his family. His father was prominent in business and politics. Frank’s many business ventures included the railway, ranching and steamboating. In 1883, Frank married Martha Loewen in Victoria. Three years later, he made his first foray into politics when he was elected to the City Council of Victoria. In 1888, Frank was elected to the House of Commons, where he served as a Member of Parliament for over a decade. Frank and Martha established a grand residence in Esquimalt, known as Clovelly. Census records from 1911 show that the Barnards had three domestic servants of Chinese origin. Each received an annual salary of $500, indicative of the Barnards’ considerable wealth. From 1914-1919, Frank was the Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia, during which he was knighted by King George V. In his retirement, Frank enjoyed golfing, yachting and tennis. He died in Victoria in 1936.
List of Calling Cards
The Point Ellice House collection contains hundreds of calling cards left for the O’Reilly family by visitors. This initial research was conducted by Public History students at the University of Victoria, and these biographies constitute only a portion of the individuals represented by the calling cards within the collection.