Robert McLeese was an Irish

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

-born hotel keeper, store owner, owner of a sternwheel river boat and political figure in British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

. He represented Cariboo

Cariboo (provincial electoral district)

Cariboo was one of the twelve original electoral districts created when British Columbia became a Canadian province in 1871. Roughly corresponding to the old colonial electoral administrative district of the same name, it was a three-member riding until the 1894 election, when it was reduced...

 in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....

 from 1882 to 1888.

He was born near Coleraine

Coleraine

Coleraine is a large town near the mouth of the River Bann in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is northwest of Belfast and east of Derry, both of which are linked by major roads and railway connections...

, the son of John McLeese and Jennie McArthur, both of Scottish

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 descent, and was educated in Dublin. McLeese moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

, where some of his relative had already settled. After seven years there, he went to California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 via Panama

Panama

Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...

. In 1858, McLeese came to British Columbia, settling at New Westminster

New Westminster, British Columbia

New Westminster is an historically important city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and is a member municipality of the Greater Vancouver Regional District. It was founded as the capital of the Colony of British Columbia ....

. Five years later, he moved to the Cariboo District

Cariboo District

Cariboo District was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1871 to 1872....

, settling at Soda Creek. McLeese married Mary McLaren in 1873. He served as postmaster for Soda Creek, the post office being located in his hotel. McLeese ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the assembly in an 1879 by-election held following the death of John Evans

John Evans (British Columbia politician)

John Evans was a miner and political figure in British Columbia. He represented Cariboo in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1875 to 1879....

. He resigned his seat in the assembly in 1888 to run unsuccessfully for a seat in the Canadian House of Commons. McLeese died in Soda Creek; his death record states his age as 68.

McLeese Lake, originally named Mud Lake, was renamed in his honour.