Yukon who is who

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Edward Scott Busby (1863 - 1952)
	
Edward Scott Busby was born in Montreal.((David Mattison, "Photo Nuggets: A Klondike Photographers Directory including Alaska and Northwestern BC, 1883-1914." Unpublished manuscript, Victoria, BC, 1995: 3.)) He joined Canada Customs in Boston in 1897. Canada stationed customs officers in the major shipping centres in northern United States so goods under seal could be shipped directly from the marshalling yards. In 1899, he was assigned to Skagway, Alaska to expedite Canadian shipments to the Yukon through the Alaska panhandle. The customs office was located in the depot building of the White Pass & Yukon Railway and Busby wanted a Canadian flag over the customs’ office building. The Canadian/US border had not been settled and the Chief of U.S. customs had tried to move the North-West Mounted Police north from the Chilkoot and White passes. Busby received permission in 1901 from the chief inspector of Customs because special officers of U.S. Customs located in Canada flew the American flag over their offices. The flag-raising was met with controversy. Forty-five minutes after it was up, a Juneau lawyer cut the halyard and pulled down the flag. Busby had him arrested and raised the flag again. A delegation waited for him in his office and threatened that a mob waiting outside might not be controllable. Busby agreed to lower the flag pending a decision from Washington. He then asked Ottawa and Victoria not to back down as it would be a loss of face. The days became months and Busby became viewed by Ottawa and London as an embarrassment. In the end, the Canadian cabinet requested that U.S. Customs stop flying the Stars and Stripes in Canada and the Canadian flag would no longer be flown over Canadian Customs offices located in the U.S. The atmosphere remained tense in Skagway.((History of Canada Customs web site December 2009:  http://members.shaw.ca/customs/History/Busby/))
	
Busby was the Canadian customs official at Bennett when he photographed the last spike ceremony for the White Pass & Yukon Route railway on July 6, 1899.  Erik Hegg also photographed the event and captured Busby and two other photographers at work.((David Mattison, "Photo Nuggets: A Klondike Photographers Directory including Alaska and Northwestern BC, 1883-1914." Unpublished manuscript, Victoria, BC, 1995: 3.)) On 18 June 1903, Prime Minister Laurier told the Commons that fifty more Mounties (making a total of 300) had been sent to the Yukon because of a real or perceived conspiracy existed in Skagway for the invasion of the Yukon. Busby was the chief inspector of Canada Customs from 1912 to 1929.((History of Canada Customs web site December 2009:  http://members.shaw.ca/customs/History/Busby/)) He retired to Vancouver in 1930 and moved to eastern Canada in 1945.((David Mattison, "Photo Nuggets: A Klondike Photographers Directory including Alaska and Northwestern BC, 1883-1914." Unpublished manuscript, Victoria, BC, 1995: 3.))