Canadian Premier. Born William Richards Bennett, he was the 27th British Columbia Premier, who served from 1975 to 1986. The son of former Premier W.A.C. Bennett and a relative of Canada’s 11th Prime Minster, R.B. Bennett, he stepped into the political stage when in 1973 he won the Social Credit (Socred) Party nomination for the Okanagan South seat his father had vacated. Soon after, he took the post of Socred Party leader and served as leader of the opposition before becoming Premier of B.C. in 1975. His government is credited with pulling the province out of a bleak recession, thanks in part to a number of massive projects, including the construction of the Coquihalla Highway and the introduction of Vancouver’s Expo 86. In 2005, the bridge across Lake Okanagan in Kelowna was named the William R. Bennett bridge in his honor, and in 2007 he received the Order of British Columbia. Bennett passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Canadian Premier. Born William Richards Bennett, he was the 27th British Columbia Premier, who served from 1975 to 1986. The son of former Premier W.A.C. Bennett and a relative of Canada’s 11th Prime Minster, R.B. Bennett, he stepped into the political stage when in 1973 he won the Social Credit (Socred) Party nomination for the Okanagan South seat his father had vacated. Soon after, he took the post of Socred Party leader and served as leader of the opposition before becoming Premier of B.C. in 1975. His government is credited with pulling the province out of a bleak recession, thanks in part to a number of massive projects, including the construction of the Coquihalla Highway and the introduction of Vancouver’s Expo 86. In 2005, the bridge across Lake Okanagan in Kelowna was named the William R. Bennett bridge in his honor, and in 2007 he received the Order of British Columbia. Bennett passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Bio by: Louis du Mort
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