William Stewart King
Encyclopedia
William Stewart 'Bill' King is a former British Columbia
politician
residing in Revelstoke
. King was a member of Dave Barrett
's 1972 BC NDP provincial government, serving in the post of Minister of Labour
.
King was born in Tisdale, Saskatchewan on September 15, 1930 to Irish immigrants Patrick and Minnie King. He married Audrey Lennard on October 10, 1953, with whom he had two children, Linda and William Jr. He attended Nelson High School in Nelson, BC and the Labour College of Canada at the University of Montreal in 1967.
William, or "Bill" as he is known to family and friends, first entered politics in 1943, when as a teenager he acted as a runner between polling stations and the campaign headquarters of Herbert Herridge, CCF MLA for Rossland-Trail. After moving to Revelstoke in 1952, he became an organizer for the CCF at the constituency level and canvassed successfully for Vincent Segur in the 1952 election. In 1960 King served as campaign manager for the late George Hobbs, who won the Revelstoke-Slocan seat for the CCF.
1968 proved to be a big year for King; he served on the provincial council of the NDP and was elected to the BC provincial legislature in the Revelstoke-Slocan constituency on July 15, 1968 in a by-election, but was defeated in the 1969 General Election.
He was re-elected on August 30, 1972 as part of the NDP government. When Barrett appointed his Cabinet on September 16, 1972, he named King as Minister of Labor. During his time as Minister of Labor, King introduced BC's first Labour Code, Human Rights legislation, and was the first to appoint women to key civil service positions in BC.
In the general election of 1975, NDP leader Dave Barrett lost his seat in the Legislature. King served as leader of the opposition in legislature until Barrett returned after winning at June 1976 by-election.
King continued to serve as the MLA for Revelstoke and surrounding area until the 1983 elections, despite the ever-shifting boundaries of the riding.
After the election of a new NDP government in 1991, King served in various advisory roles to the cabinet and Premier.
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
residing in Revelstoke
Revelstoke, British Columbia
Revelstoke is a city in southeastern British Columbia, Canada. It is located east of Vancouver, and west of Calgary, Alberta. The city is situated on the banks of the Columbia River just south of the Revelstoke Dam and near its confluence with the Illecillewaet River...
. King was a member of Dave Barrett
Dave Barrett
David Barrett, OC , commonly known as Dave Barrett, is a retired politician and social worker in British Columbia, Canada...
's 1972 BC NDP provincial government, serving in the post of Minister of Labour
Minister of Labour (Canada)
The Minister of Labour is the Minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for setting national labour standards and federal labour dispute mechanisms...
.
King was born in Tisdale, Saskatchewan on September 15, 1930 to Irish immigrants Patrick and Minnie King. He married Audrey Lennard on October 10, 1953, with whom he had two children, Linda and William Jr. He attended Nelson High School in Nelson, BC and the Labour College of Canada at the University of Montreal in 1967.
William, or "Bill" as he is known to family and friends, first entered politics in 1943, when as a teenager he acted as a runner between polling stations and the campaign headquarters of Herbert Herridge, CCF MLA for Rossland-Trail. After moving to Revelstoke in 1952, he became an organizer for the CCF at the constituency level and canvassed successfully for Vincent Segur in the 1952 election. In 1960 King served as campaign manager for the late George Hobbs, who won the Revelstoke-Slocan seat for the CCF.
1968 proved to be a big year for King; he served on the provincial council of the NDP and was elected to the BC provincial legislature in the Revelstoke-Slocan constituency on July 15, 1968 in a by-election, but was defeated in the 1969 General Election.
He was re-elected on August 30, 1972 as part of the NDP government. When Barrett appointed his Cabinet on September 16, 1972, he named King as Minister of Labor. During his time as Minister of Labor, King introduced BC's first Labour Code, Human Rights legislation, and was the first to appoint women to key civil service positions in BC.
In the general election of 1975, NDP leader Dave Barrett lost his seat in the Legislature. King served as leader of the opposition in legislature until Barrett returned after winning at June 1976 by-election.
King continued to serve as the MLA for Revelstoke and surrounding area until the 1983 elections, despite the ever-shifting boundaries of the riding.
After the election of a new NDP government in 1991, King served in various advisory roles to the cabinet and Premier.