William Augustus Oldford (October 18, 1925 – October 27, 2023) was a Canadian social worker, magistrate and politician in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

. He represented

Fortune Bay Fortune Bay () is a fairly large natural bay located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the south coast of Newfoundland, Canada.Newfoundland House of Assembly The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly () is the Unicameralism, unicameral deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It meets in the Confederation Bu ...

from 1971 to 1972 as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

Life and career

The son of Augustus Oldford and Hilda Rose, he was born in Burnside and was educated there and at Memorial University College. He taught school for four years and then worked as a welfare officer at

Jackson's Arm Jackson's Arm is a town in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located on White Bay. It was settled by John Wicks of Christchurch, England, around 1870. The Post Office was established in 1892 and the first Postmistress was Bel ...

from 1951 to 1958. He then served as a magistrate until 1971, when he stepped down from the bench to enter provincial politics. He served in the Newfoundland cabinet as a

minister without portfolio A minister without portfolio is a government minister without specific responsibility as head of a government department. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet with decision-making authorit ...

and as Minister of Supply and Services. Oldford resigned his seat in the assembly in January 1972, which gave the Progressive Conservative party a majority of seats. He was named a magistrate in March 1972 and served in Grand Falls and Wabush-Labrador City. He was a named a provincial court judge in Springdale in 1977, retiring from the bench in 1990. Oldford married Mabel Caines. He died on October 27, 2023, at the age of 98.

References

1925 births 2023 deaths Judges in Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador MHAs Members of the Executive Council of Newfoundland and Labrador 20th-century members of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly {{Newfoundland-politician-stub