Editing Bill Rompkey

{{Short description|Canadian educator and politician}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = [[The Honourable]]
| name             = Bill Rompkey
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC|size=100%}}
| image            = 
| caption          = 
| office           = [[Representative of the Government in the Senate|Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate]]
| primeminister    = [[Paul Martin]]
| leader           = [[Jack Austin (politician)|Jack Austin]]
| term_start       = January 15, 2004
| term_end         = February 5, 2006
| predecessor      = [[Fernand Robichaud]]
| successor        = [[Gerald Comeau]]
| office1          = [[Whip (politics)|Government Whip]] in the Senate
| primeminister1   = [[Jean Chrétien]]<br />[[Paul Martin]]
| leader1          = [[Sharon Carstairs]]<br />[[Jack Austin (politician)|Jack Austin]]
| term_start1      = September 7, 2001
| term_end1        = January 14, 2004
| predecessor1     = [[Léonce Mercier]]
| successor1       = [[Rose-Marie Losier-Cool]]
{{Collapsed infobox section begin |last=yes |Canadian Cabinet
 |titlestyle=border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}{{Infobox officeholder |embed=yes
| office2              = [[Minister of State (Canada)|Minister of State (Mines)]]
| primeminister2       = [[John Turner]]
| minister2            = [[Gerald Regan]]
| term_start2          = June 30, 1984
| term_end2            = September 16, 1984
| predecessor2         = ''Position established''
| successor2           = [[Robert Layton (politician)|Robert Layton]]
| office3              = [[Minister of State (Canada)|Minister of State (Transport)]]
| primeminister3       = [[John Turner]]
| minister3            = [[Lloyd Axworthy]]
| term_start3          = June 30, 1984
| term_end3            = September 16, 1984
| predecessor3         = [[Robert Howie (politician)|Robert Howie]] (1980)
| successor3           = [[Benoît Bouchard]]
| office4              = [[Minister of National Revenue]]
| primeminister4       = [[Pierre Trudeau]]
| term_start4          = March 3, 1980
| term_end4            = September 29, 1982
| predecessor4         = [[Walter Baker (Canadian politician)|Walter Baker]]
| successor4           = [[Pierre Bussières]]{{Collapsed infobox section end}}}}
{{Collapsed infobox section begin |last=yes |Parliamentary constituencies
 |titlestyle=border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}{{Infobox officeholder |embed=yes
| office5              = [[Senate of Canada|Canadian Senator]]<br />from [[List of Newfoundland and Labrador senators|Newfoundland and Labrador]]
| term_start5          = September 21, 1995
| term_end5            = May 13, 2011
| nominator5           = [[Jean Chrétien]]
| appointer5           = [[Roméo LeBlanc]]
| predecessor5         = [[Jack Marshall (Canadian politician)|Jack Marshall]]
| successor5           = [[Norman Doyle]] (2012)
| parliament9          = Canadian
| riding9            = [[Labrador (electoral district)|Labrador]]<br />{{small|([[Labrador (electoral district)#History|Grand Falls—White Bay—Labrador]]; 1972–1988)}}
| term_start9        = October 30, 1972
| term_end9          = September 20, 1995
| predecessor9       = [[Ambrose Peddle]] 
| successor9         = [[Lawrence D. O'Brien]] (1996){{Collapsed infobox section end}}}}
| birth_name       = William Hubert Rompkey
| birth_date       = {{birth date|1936|5|13|mf=y}}
| birth_place      = [[Belleoram]], [[Dominion of Newfoundland]]
| death_date       = {{death date and age|mf=yes|2017|3|21|1936|5|13}}
| death_place      = [[Ottawa]], [[Ontario]], Canada
| nationality      =
| party            = [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]]
| spouse           = {{marriage|Carolyn Pike|1963}}
| relations        = 
| children         = Hilary Rompkey<br />Peter Rompkey
| residence        = 
| alma_mater       = {{plainlist|
* [[Bishop Feild College]]
* [[Memorial University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], 1957), [[Master of Arts|MA]], [[Doctor of Laws|LLD (Hon.)]], [[University of London]]
* [[University of Toronto]]
}}
| occupation       = [[Senate of Canada|Canadian Senator]]
| profession       = [[Educator]]
| allegiance       = [[Canada]]
| branch           = [[Royal Canadian Navy]]
| rank             = Lieutenant (Reserve)
| cabinet          = Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate (2004–2006)<br />Government Whip in the Senate (2001–2004)<br />Minister of State (Mines) (1984)<br />Minister of State (Small business and Tourism) (1982–1983)<br />Minister of National Revenue (1980–1982)
| signature           =
}}

'''William Hubert Rompkey''' {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC}} (May 13, 1936 – March 21, 2017) was a [[Canadians|Canadian]] educator and politician from [[Newfoundland and Labrador|Newfoundland]]. A member of the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal Party]], he served as [[House of Commons of Canada|member of Parliament]] from [[Labrador (electoral district)|Labrador]] from 1972 to 1995, and as a [[Senate of Canada|senator]] from Newfoundland and Labrador from 1995 to 2011.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://vocm.com/news/former-senator-and-mp-bill-rompkey-passes-away-at-80/ |title=VOCM - Former Senator and MP, Bill Rompkey Passes Away at 80 |access-date=2017-03-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170327083517/http://vocm.com/news/former-senator-and-mp-bill-rompkey-passes-away-at-80/ |archive-date=2017-03-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Rompkey was born in [[Belleoram]], [[Fortune Bay]], [[Dominion of Newfoundland|Newfoundland]]. He attended [[Bishop Feild College]] in St. John's. In 1953, after he left Bishop Feild College, Rompkey entered [[Memorial University]], where he graduated with a BA, a diploma in education, and an MA.  Rompkey continued his studies at the University of London, England, where he received the Academic Diploma in Education.

==Career as an educator==
After Rompkey returned from his studies in London, he started his career as an educator. Rompkey taught school at Upper Island Cove and in St. John's. In 1963, he married fellow Memorial University graduate Carolyn Pike, and then, lured by [[William Anthony Paddon|Tony Paddon]], Rompkey took an appointment as principal of the Yale Amalgamated School in North West River. Rompkey later became the first Superintendent of Education with the Labrador East Integrated School Board, a position he held until 1971. In January 1972, Rompkey was studying for his Ph.D. in Adult Education at the University of Toronto when he won the nomination to represent the Grand Falls-White Bay-Labrador riding for the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal Party]].

==Parliamentary career==
===The House of Commons===
Rompkey was first elected to the [[House of Commons of Canada]] in the [[1972 Canadian federal election|1972 federal election]] as the Liberal [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Labrador (electoral district)|Grand Falls—White Bay—Labrador]], the first of seven consecutive election victories. He defeated [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservative]] incumbent [[Ambrose Peddle]] to win the seat. In 1980, [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Pierre Trudeau]] elevated Rompkey to the [[Canadian Cabinet]] as [[Minister of National Revenue (Canada)|Minister of National Revenue]]. In 1982, he was moved to the position of [[Minister of State (Canada)|Minister of State]] for Small Businesses and Tourism becoming Minister of State for Mines in 1984. He was Minister of State for Transport in the short-lived Cabinet of [[John Turner]] until the government's defeat in the [[1984 Canadian federal election|1984 election]].

===Senate===
In 1995, [[Governor General of Canada]] [[Roméo LeBlanc]], on the advice of Prime Minister [[Jean Chrétien]], appointed Rompkey to the [[Senate of Canada]]. In 2001, he became Government [[parliamentary whip|Whip]] in the Senate and was deputy leader of the government in the Senate until the [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservatives]] took power in February 2006 as a result of a [[2006 Canadian federal election|federal election]]. He reached the [[mandatory retirement]] age of 75 on May 13, 2011.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Canadian Parliament links|ID=3354}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090927105241/http://www.mun.ca/president/99-00report/honor/honorary_rompkey.html Biography from Memorial University]

{{Turner Ministry}}
{{Second Trudeau Ministry}}
{{CA-Ministers of National Revenue}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rompkey, Bill}}
[[Category:1936 births]]
[[Category:2017 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of London]]
[[Category:Canadian Anglicans]]
[[Category:Canadian senators from Newfoundland and Labrador]]
[[Category:Liberal Party of Canada MPs]]
[[Category:Liberal Party of Canada senators]]
[[Category:Members of the 22nd Canadian Ministry]]
[[Category:Members of the 23rd Canadian Ministry]]
[[Category:Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Newfoundland and Labrador]]
[[Category:Bishop Feild School alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the Senate of Canada]]
[[Category:21st-century members of the Senate of Canada]]