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

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

. He served as member of the

Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island The Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island () together with the Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island, lieutenant governor of Prince Edward Island form the General Assembly of Prince Edward Island. The Legislative Assembly meets at ...

(MLA) from 1993 to 1996, representing 1st Kings and sitting with the Prince Edward Island Liberal Party.

Early life

Soloman was born in Georgetown, Prince Edward Island, on May 16, 1939. He was one of seven children of Walter Soloman and Lucy (Scully). Soloman first studied at Saint Dunstan's University, graduating with a

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

in 1963, before earning a Bachelor of Education from the University of Prince Edward Island eight years later. He subsequently undertook postgraduate studies 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, English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universiti ...

and Saint Francis Xavier University, 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 an ...

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

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...

on . His crew were part of 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 ...

peacekeeping force in

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

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, 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. He also served in that capacity for Lawrence MacAulay, the federal Member of Parliament 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 or ''bordar'') of a small house with enough garden to feed a family and in return for the cottage, the cottager had to provide ...

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 The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

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

Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County, Prince Edward Island, Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlott ...

. He was 81 years old.

References

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* {{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 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island