W._Bennett_Campbell

Bennett Campbell

Bennett Campbell

Canadian politician (1943–2008)

William Bennett Campbell, PC (August 27, 1943 – September 11, 2008) was a politician and the 24th premier of Prince Edward Island.

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Born in Montague, Prince Edward Island, Campbell was a teacher by profession before entering politics in 1970 and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island as a Liberal candidate.[1] In 1972, he became Minister of Education;[2] Provincial Secretary in 1974; and Minister of Finance in 1976.

When Liberal leader and PEI Premier Alexander B. Campbell (no relation) announced his retirement, Bennett Campbell was elected interim leader of the PEI Liberal Party by the caucus and was sworn in as premier on September 18, 1978.[3] On December 9, he was elected leader at the party's leadership convention.[4]

His government was defeated in the general election held the next year.[5] He remained party leader and leader of the opposition until he decided to enter federal politics. He won the seat for Cardigan in the House of Commons of Canada through a 1981 by-election following the death of Daniel J. MacDonald.[6] On September 22, 1981, he took over Macdonald's cabinet portfolio and became Minister of Veterans Affairs in the government of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.[7] He retained his portfolio when John Turner succeeded Trudeau as Liberal leader and prime minister, but lost his seat to Pat Binns in the 1984 election that brought down the short-lived Turner government.[8][9]

In the 1986 provincial election, Campbell attempted to regain his former district of 3rd Kings,[10] but lost to Progressive Conservative incumbent Joey Fraser by 16 votes.[11][12]

On September 11, 2008, Campbell died of cancer.[13][14]

Electoral record

More information Canadian federal by-election, 13 April 1981 On the death of Daniel J. MacDonald, 30 September 1980, Party ...
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References

  1. [1]
    "Official Provincial General Election Returns, 1970" (PDF). Elections PEI. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2015-08-10.
  2. [2]
    "Woman named to PEI Cabinet". The Globe and Mail. October 11, 1972.
  3. [3]
    "PEI successor to Campbell is a Campbell". The Globe and Mail. September 18, 1978.
  4. [4]
    "Campbell is PEI Liberal leader". The Globe and Mail. December 11, 1978.
  5. [5]
    "PEI Tory win costs Liberals last province". The Globe and Mail. April 24, 1979.
  6. [6]
    "Seat in Commons held by Liberals in PEI by-election". The Globe and Mail. April 14, 1981.
  7. [7]
    "PM repairs Liberal weak spots by naming four new ministers". The Globe and Mail. September 23, 1981.
  8. [8]
    "Tory tide sweeps away more than half of Cabinet". The Globe and Mail. September 5, 1984.
  9. [9]
    "Tory tide claims 25 seats of 32 in Atlantic region". The Globe and Mail. September 5, 1984.
  10. [10]
    "Former premier hoping to regain seat". The Globe and Mail. April 21, 1986.
  11. [11]
    "Official Provincial General Election Returns, 1986" (PDF). Elections PEI. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-05-25. Retrieved 2015-08-10.
  12. [12]
    "Liberals win P.E.I., Premier loses seat". The Globe and Mail. April 22, 1986.
  13. [13]
    "Former premier Bennett Campbell dies". The Guardian. September 12, 2008. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved 2015-08-09.
  14. [14]
    "Former P.E.I. premier dies". CBC News. September 12, 2008. Retrieved 2015-08-09.
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