William Samuel Ritchie (February 25, 1927 – February 7, 2014) was a Canadian businessman entrepreneur and politician. He served in the

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is the deliberative assembly of the Parliament of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The Legislative Assembly meets in Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria. Members ar ...

from 1979 to 1986, as a Social Credit member for the constituency of Central Fraser Valley.

Biography

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Ritchie lied about his age and joined the

British Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

. He sold kindling door-to-door, giving his mother most of his earnings to help with family expenses. Ritchie farmed in Scotland and eventually moved to

County Fermanagh County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of 1,691 km2 (653 sq mi) and has a population of 61,805 a ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

where he married Maud Armstrong and had their first child. In 1952, Ritchie left aboard the ship ''Empress of Canada'' and settled in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

there they had their second child. He held numerous jobs all in agriculture except for a short time at Trans Canada Airlines and as a

real estate agent A real estate agent or real estate broker is a person who represents sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and agen ...

. His career took him back and forth between

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

and

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. Eventually, Ritchie moved to Burnaby British Columbia there they had their third and fourth child and earning the position of General Sales Manager At Buckerfields Feed, he eventually moved to Abbotsford British Columbia and partnered with Dave Smith and formed "Ritchie-Smith Feeds Ltd."

Political career

After selling Ritchie-Smith Feeds, he entered politics and become the MLA for Central Fraser Valley. He served in the

Bill Bennett William Richards Bennett, (April 14, 1932 – December 3, 2015) was the 27th premier of British Columbia from 1975 to 1986. He was a son of Annie Elizabeth May (Richards) and former Premier, W. A. C. Bennett. He was a 3rd cousin, twice removed, ...

government as Minister of Municipal Affairs. In 1986, he did not seek re-election.

Later life and death

He met and married, Nina in 1990. Eventually, they settled in

Qualicum Beach :''"Qualicum" re-directs here. For the neighbourhood in Ottawa, see Qualicum, Ottawa'' Qualicum Beach () is a town located on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. In the 2021 census, it had a population of 9,303. It is situated at the fo ...

where they resided until he died.William Ritchie obituary
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ritchie, William 1927 births 2014 deaths British Columbia Social Credit Party MLAs Businesspeople in agriculture Canadian real estate agents Farmers from British Columbia Members of the Executive Council of British Columbia People from Abbotsford, British Columbia Politicians from Glasgow Royal Navy personnel of World War II Scottish emigrants to Canada 20th-century Canadian politicians