Born in
Montclair,
New Jersey, Atkins was a graduate of
Appleby College in
Oakville and of
Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, where he completed the
Bachelor of Arts program in 1957. He subsequently received an Honorary Doctorate in Civil Law in 2000, from Acadia University. Atkins was a leading figure in advertising and a senior
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario and
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada strategist. He was especially associated with the
Big Blue Machine, which helped elect the Ontario PC Party under
Bill Davis. In the 1980s, he was a strategist for the federal Conservatives, led by
Brian Mulroney, who recommended him to
Governor General Jeanne Sauvé for appointment to the Senate in 1986. Atkins opposed the merger of the Progressive Conservative Party with the
Canadian Alliance, and refused to join the product of that merger, the
Conservative Party of Canada. Instead, he continued to sit in the Senate as a "Progressive Conservative" along with
Lowell Murray and
Elaine McCoy. He did not initially rule out joining the new Conservative Party caucus in the future, saying in February 2004, "I will be watching with interest, both the Leadership and the policies of the new party, to see whether they address my concerns. It is my hope that they will reflect the values and beliefs Progressive Conservatives hold so strongly". However, he continued to sit as a Progressive Conservative for the duration of his time in the Senate. On February 27, 2007, Atkins was elected vice-chairman of the Senate's National Security and Defence Committee. He was elected with the support of defiant Liberal senators after moderate Conservative Senator
Michael Meighen resigned his position at the direction of the Prime Minister's Office who reportedly wished to install a more ideologically conservative co-chair. Atkins retired from the Senate upon turning 75 on June 27, 2009. He died in
Fredericton on September 28, 2010, at the age of 76. == Archives ==