Person

Calder, Frank

1915-2006

Frank Arthur Calder of the Nisga'a Nation was born in 1915 in Nass Harbour, British Columbia. Dr. Calder went to the Coqualeetza Residential School, Chilliwack High School, and was the first known Indigenous student to attend the University of British Columbia. Dr. Calder studied theology at the Anglican Theological College at UBC and graduated in 1946. He became the first Indigenous person elected to the BC legislature in 1949. Shortly after his election, Calder began working towards reopening his people's land claim dispute. The "Calder Case" went to the Supreme Court of Canada in 1973. Even though the Nisga'a lost on a technicality, it opened the door for recognizing Aboriginal People's land rights in Canadian law. In February 1975, Dr. Calder married Tamiki Koshibe, a Japanese immigrant. Dr. Calder died in November 2006.

Bennett McCardle & Michelle Filice, The Canadian Encyclopedia, Frank Calder, published 2007, updated 2020 (accessed, May 2021)