Ray Gillis Williston (January 17, 1914 – December 7, 2006) was an educator and political figure in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. He represented Fort George in the

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia () is the deliberative assembly of the Legislature of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The other component of the Legislature is the lieutenant governor of British Columbi ...

from 1953 to 1972 as a

Social Credit Social credit is a distributive philosophy of political economy developed in the 1920s and 1930s by C. H. Douglas. Douglas attributed economic downturns to discrepancies between the cost of goods and the compensation of the workers who made t ...

member. He was born in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific Ocean, Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Gre ...

, the son of Hubert Haines Williston and Islay McCalman, and was educated at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

and the provincial normal school in Victoria. In 1939, Williston married Gladys Edna McInnes. He served in the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Williston was a school principal and was the school inspector for the Prince George/Peace River area from 1945 to 1953. He served in the provincial cabinet as Minister of Education from 1954 to 1956 and as Minister of Lands, Forests and Water Resources (initially called Minister of Lands and Forests) from 1956 to 1972. Williston was defeated when he ran for reelection in 1972. He represented the province in the negotiation of the

Columbia River Treaty The Columbia River Treaty is a 1961 agreement between Canada and the United States on the development and operation of dams in the upper Columbia River basin for power and flood control benefits in both countries. Four dams were constructed under ...

with the United States in 1961. After leaving politics, he was general manager of the New Brunswick Forest Authority and then president of British Columbia Cellulose Company. Williston also worked as a consultant for the

Canadian International Development Agency The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA; in French: ''Agence canadienne de développement international''; ''ACDI'') was a federal Canadian organization that administered foreign aid programs in developing countries. The agency was me ...

and the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Its Latin motto, , translates ...

. Some time after the death of his first wife, he married Eileen, the widow of a friend; she died in 1996. Williston died in St. Mary's Hospital in

Sechelt Sechelt (, Sechelt language, shíshálh Language: ch'atlich) is a district municipality located on the lower Sunshine Coast (British Columbia), Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. Approximately northwest of Vancouver, it is accessible from ma ...

at the age of 92.

Williston Lake Williston Lake is a reservoir created by the W. A. C. Bennett Dam which is located in the Northern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Geography The lake fills the basin of the upper Peace River, backing into the Rocky Mountain Trench which ...

, a reservoir in northern British Columbia, was named after him. Williston is the great grandfather of NHL player

Macklin Celebrini Macklin Celebrini (born June 13, 2006) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played college hockey for the Boston University Terriers. During his freshman season he won the H ...

. His wife Eileen with Betty Keller produced the book ''Forests, Power and Policy: The Legacy of Ray Williston'' which was published in 1997.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williston, Ray G 1914 births 2006 deaths Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of World War II British Columbia Social Credit Party MLAs Politicians from Victoria, British Columbia School inspectors 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia