Roger Allan Francis Soloman (May 16, 1939April 14, 2021) was a Canadian provincial politician and educator on

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...

. He served as member of the

Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island The Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island (french: Assemblée législative de l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard) is the sole chamber of the General Assembly of Prince Edward Island. The Legislative Assembly meets at Province House, which is locate ...

(MLA) from 1993 to 1996, representing 1st Kings and sitting with the

Prince Edward Island Liberal Party The Prince Edward Island Liberal Party (officially the ''Prince Edward Island Liberal Association'') is a political party in the province of Prince Edward Island, Canada. The PEI Liberals are affiliated with the federal Liberal Party of Canada. H ...

Early life

Soloman was born in

Georgetown, Prince Edward Island Georgetown is a community located within the municipality of Three Rivers in Kings County, Prince Edward Island, Canada. It is the Capital of Kings County. Previously incorporated as a town, it amalgamated with the town of Montague, the rural ...

, on May 16, 1939. He was one of seven children of Walter Soloman and Lucy (Scully). Soloman first studied at

Saint Dunstan's University :''St. Andrew's College, Prince Edward Island'' redirects to here. St. Dunstan's University (SDU) is a former university which was located on the northern outskirts of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. SDU merged with Prince of Wales ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in 1963, before earning a

Bachelor of Education A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) is an undergraduate professional degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. In some countries such as Tanzania and Kenya, additional tasks like field work and research are required in order for ...

from the

University of Prince Edward Island The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) is a public university in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, and the only university in the province. Founded in 1969, the enabling legislation is the ''University Act, R.S.P.E.I 2000.'' H ...

eight years later. He subsequently undertook

postgraduate studies Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

at the

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universities in North Americ ...

and

Saint Francis Xavier University St. Francis Xavier University is a public undergraduate liberal arts university located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a member of the Maple League, a group of primarily undergraduate universities in Eastern Canada. History St. Franc ...

, obtaining a

Master of Education The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: curriculum a ...

from the latter institution in 1977. Soloman went on to serve as a lieutenant in the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...

on . His crew were part of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

peacekeeping force in

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

from 1963 until 1964. After his stint in the navy, he worked as an educator for over 30 years at Souris Consolidated and

Souris Regional School Souris Regional School, is a Canadian public school located in Souris, Prince Edward Island, Souris, Prince Edward Island. The school instructs students from Primary education, Kindergarten to Secondary education, Grade 12. The school serves t ...

, first as a math and science teacher and then as a principal.

Political career

Soloman entered politics in 1993, running in the provincial election that year. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly, representing the riding of 1st Kings. He served on various legislative committees, most notably as chair of the Special Committee on Proposed Tax Harmonization during his final year in the legislature. Soloman chose not to run in the 1996 election. Instead, he acted as campaign chair for Premier

Keith Milligan Keith Wayne Milligan (born February 8, 1950 in Inverness) was the 29th premier of Prince Edward Island, serving for seven weeks in the autumn of 1996. He was educated at Inverness District School, O'Leary Regional High School and the University ...

. He also served in that capacity for

Lawrence MacAulay Lawrence A. MacAulay (born September 9, 1946) is a Canadian politician, who has represented the riding of Cardigan, Prince Edward Island in the House of Commons since 1988. On June 11, 1997, he joined the cabinet of Prime Minister Jean Chrét ...

, the federal

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for Cardigan.

Later life

After retiring from politics, Soloman went into the

cottage A cottage, during Feudalism in England, England's feudal period, was the holding by a cottager (known as a Cotter (farmer), cotter or ''bordar'') of a small house with enough garden to feed a family and in return for the cottage, the cottager ...

business, in order to be closer to his family. He oversaw De Roma Cottages on the Brudenell River. He resided in Stratford with his wife during his later years.

Personal life

Soloman married Sheila Graham on December 27, 1965. Together, they had four children: Paulette, Terry, Kimberly, and Frank. He was a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

. Soloman died on April 14, 2021, at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in

Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlottetown was an unincorporated town until it was incorporated as a city in ...

. He was 81 years old.

References

Citations

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Soloman, Roger 1939 births 2021 deaths Canadian Roman Catholics People from Kings County, Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island Liberal Party MLAs Saint Dunstan's University alumni St. Francis Xavier University alumni University of Prince Edward Island alumni