Editing Ray Frenette (section)

== Life and career ==
Frenette was born on April 16, 1935 in [[Beresford, New Brunswick]], the son of Berthilde Pitre and Samuel Frenette. He attended the Collège du Sacré-Coeur in [[Bathurst, New Brunswick|Bathurst]].<ref name="GlobeNMailObit">{{cite news |title=Former premier Ray Frenette, 83, was ‘a great New Brunswicker’ |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-former-premier-ray-frenette-83-was-a-great-new-brunswicker/ |access-date=1 April 2024 |work=The Globe and Mail |date=19 July 2018 |language=en-CA}}</ref> Before his election to the legislature, he was a Councillor for the village of [[Lewisville, New Brunswick|Lewisville]] and, after Lewisville was amalgamated with the city of [[Moncton]], he was a [[Moncton City Council|Moncton city Councillor]].

He twice ran for leader of the [[Liberal Party of New Brunswick|New Brunswick Liberals]]. He lost in 1982 to [[Doug Young (politician)|Doug Young]], and in 1985 to [[Frank McKenna]]. He served as [[interim leader (Canada)|interim leader]] of the party from 1983 to 1985 and again from October 1997 to May 1998, also serving as [[Premier of New Brunswick|Premier]].

Frenette was Frank McKenna's right-hand man in the legislature, serving as his [[House Leader]] throughout his tenure as leader from 1985 to 1997. He resigned from the [[New Brunswick]] [[legislature]] in July 1998.

Following his political career, Frenette was appointed by [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Jean Chrétien]] to be a director of [[Atomic Energy of Canada Limited]] (AECL) for a three-year term from 1998 to 2001 following which he served as chair from 2001 to 2005.

On May 11, 2006, it was announced that he would be New Brunswick chair of [[Gerard Kennedy]]'s [[2006 Liberal Party of Canada leadership election|campaign for the leadership]] of the [[Liberal Party of Canada]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gerardkennedy.ca/documents/News_Release_NB_May11_e.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2006-05-11 |archive-date=2012-02-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204190426/http://www.gerardkennedy.ca/documents/News_Release_NB_May11_e.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On July 13, 2018, Frenette died at the [[Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre]] in [[Moncton]], aged 83.<ref>{{cite web |title=J. Raymond Frenette (1935-2018) |url=https://www.hommagenb.com/obituaries/j-raymond-frenette-1935-2018/ |website=Hommage NB |access-date=1 April 2024 |language=fr-FR}}</ref>