Bill Graham was a longtime Parliament of Canada's House of Commons member. Throughout his Parliamentary career, he held seats from two different ridings. Both of them were located in Toronto, Ontario.
Graham was a noted member of the Liberal Party of Canada, eventually becoming its leader for a brief time. He'd previously held two of the most high-profile positions in the Canadian Cabinet.
Passed away on August 7, 2022
Bill Graham has died, reports the CBC. CTV News indicates that the cause of death was an unspecified form of cancer. The news of Graham's death was apparently first reported to the press by former MP John English.
Graham first ran for the House of Commons in 1984, losing to Progressive Conservative incumbent David Crombie. Crombie had been a Cabinet member under Prime Ministers Joe Clark and Brian Mulroney. In 1988, Graham ran again and was again unsuccessful. Losing this time to another Progressive Conservative former Clark Cabinet member, David MacDonald. MacDonald was an MP from a couple of Prince Edward Island ridings in the past.
Five years later, Graham finally scored a Parliamentary campaign victory. He would go on to win four more elections to the House of Commons. In 2002, Prime Minister Jean Chretien appointed Graham as the minister of foreign affairs. He initially remained in the post after Paul Martin took over as prime minister.
But in 2004, Martin moved him to another prominent role, minister of national defense.
In 2006, the Liberals were defeated by the Conservative Party of Canada in that year's federal election. Paul Martin subsequently was ousted as prime minister and resigned as leader of the Liberal Party. Bill Graham would serve as the new party leader on an interim basis.
This also effectively made him the new leader of the Official Opposition in the House of Commons.
Graham served in both roles for most of the rest of the years. He would be succeeded in each by Stephane Dion. The following year, Graham announced his retirement from the Parliament. The by-election to fill his seat was won by Liberal Bob Rae.
Current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released a statement expressing sorrow at Graham's passing. As did other Liberal Prime Ministers, Jean Chretien and Paul Martin. Former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Graham "was always a gentleman."
Was a naval officer
Bill Graham was raised in Montreal, Quebec, and in Vancouver, British Columbia. He eventually began attending Upper Canada College in Toronto. Graham received further education at the University of Toronto's Trinity College. Followed by the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and the University of Paris in France.
Along the way, Graham also joined the Royal Canadian Navy. He remained a member of the Navy for roughly a decade.
Ultimately, he retired with the rank of sub-lieutenant.
Over the years, Graham also held a number of academic roles. After leaving politics, he became chancellor of his alma mater, Trinity College. He held the role until his death.
In 1962, Graham married Catherine Curry. They would have two children.
