Chris Decker
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Christopher Robert Decker (November 17, 1941 – August 8, 2015) was an English
United Church A united church, also called a uniting church, is a denomination formed from the merger or other form of church union of two or more different Protestantism, Protestant Christian denominations, a number of which come from separate and distinc ...
clergyman, businessman and politician in
Newfoundland and Labrador 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 populatio ...
. He represented
The Straits – White Bay North The Straits – White Bay North is a defunct provincial electoral district for the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The district was known as Strait of Belle Isle prior to the 1996 election. In the 2007 redistribution, it a ...
in the
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 1985 to 1999. The son of Alan Decker and Leah Simms, he was born in St. Anthony and grew up in
Roddickton Roddickton is a community and former town located on the eastern side of the Great Northern Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It amalgamated with the former Town of Bide Arm on January ...
. He attended high school in Roddickton and
Prince Of Wales College Prince of Wales College (PWC) is a former university college, which was located in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. PWC merged with St. Dunstan's University in 1969 to form the University of Prince Edward Island. PWC traces its hi ...
and went on to receive a BA from
Memorial University Memorial University of Newfoundland, or MUN (), is a Public university, public research university in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, with satellite campuses in Corner Brook ...
and a
Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...
from Pine Hill Divinity Hall in
Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...
. Decker served as a minister in various places in Canada. In 1967, he married Patricia Roberts. In 1972, Decker returned to Roddickton, where he operated several businesses and served two terms as mayor. He served as member and chair for the Strait of Belle Isle Integrated School Board and for the Vinland Integrated School Board. He also served on the Integrated Education Council for Newfoundland and Labrador. Decker was a member of the board of regents for Memorial University and served as chair from 2002 to 2003. Decker was elected to the Newfoundland assembly in 1985; he was reelected in 1989, 1993 and 1996. He served in the provincial cabinet as Minister of Health, as Minister of Justice and Attorney General and as Minister of Education. After leaving politics in 1999, he worked as a consultant. Decker also published three books: * ''Gravel Pit Campers'' (2010) * ''Dissolution'' (2012) * ''By Right of Soil'' (2011) Decker died of cancer at the age of 73.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Decker, Chris 1941 births 2015 deaths Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador MHAs Members of the Executive Council of Newfoundland and Labrador 20th-century mayors of places in Newfoundland and Labrador People from St. Anthony, Newfoundland and Labrador Memorial University of Newfoundland alumni Ministers of the United Church of Canada Deaths from cancer in Newfoundland and Labrador 20th-century members of the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly