Robert Stanley Kemp Welch (July 13, 1928 – July 29, 2000) was a Canadian politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1963 to 1985 as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party, and was a cabinet minister in the governments of John Robarts, Bill Davis and Frank Miller. Biography Early life Welch was born in St. Catharines, the son of a railway brakeman. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from McMaster University in Hamilton, and a Bachelor of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto. He worked as a barrister and solicitor after his graduation, and was a member of that St. Catharines Board of Education from 1955 until 1963. Welch was also a lay preacher in the Anglican church, and served as chancellor of the Anglican Diocese in Niagara from 1965 to 1992. Political career He was elected to the Ontario legislature in the 1963 provincial election, winning a convincing victory in the rural, southwestern Ontario constituency of Lincoln. After serving as a backbench supporter of the Robarts government for two years, he was named to cabinet on November 24, 1966 as Provincial Secretary (Ontario) and Minister of Citizenship. Welch was re-elected by a landslide in the 1967 provincial election, and was retained in both portfolios. Leadership campaign When Robarts retired, Welch ran to succeed him in the 1971 Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership convention. He was often depicted as a "consensus candidate", and was criticized for not debating policy issues. His campaign organization was initially weak, but received an unexpected boost from four of Robarts' senior advisors. Some have speculated that Robarts only intended to give Welch's campaign the appearance of strength, such that frontrunner Bill Davis would not appear to win the leadership by default. Welch proved a likeable figure and a good speaker, and built a base of delegate support at the expense of rival candidate Darcy McKeough. He finished fourth on the first ballot (three votes behind McKeough), and was eliminated after the second. Despite rumours that he would support McKeough, he remained neutral after his elimination and released his delegates. Davis was elected on the fourth ballot, defeating upstart candidate Allan Lawrence by 44 votes. Davis years Welch became part of the new premier's inner circle of advisors and was often used as a "fixer" in the Davis government, taking temporary placements in difficult portfolios as a crisis manager.