Ray Petten was one of Newfoundland's first Senators as one of three appointees made to the Canadian Senate

Canadian Senate

The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...

 on August 17, 1949.

A customs broker

Customs broking

Customs brokerage is a profession that involves the 'clearing' of goods through customs barriers for importers and exporters...

 and fish exporter's agent, he had been a supporter and chief fundraiser of Joey Smallwood

Joey Smallwood

Joseph Roberts "Joey" Smallwood, PC, CC was the main force that brought Newfoundland into the Canadian confederation, and became the first Premier of Newfoundland . As premier, he vigorously promoted economic development, championed the welfare state, and emphasized modernization of education and...

's Newfoundland Confederate Association which had campaigned for the former colony to join Canadian confederation

Canadian Confederation

Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...

.

In the 1950s he was treasurer of the Newfoundland Liberal Party.

His son, William Petten

William Petten

William John Petten was a Canadian politician.Born in St John's, Newfoundland, he was the son of Ray Petten, chief fundraiser of Joey Smallwood's Newfoundland Confederate Association and subsequently a member of the Canadian Senate.William Pennett was a customs broker for fish exporters before...

, was appointed to the Senate in 1968.

External links

• Parliamentary biography