Background
His father William Winegard was a veteran of both world wars, the first mayor of Caledonia, Ontario and the founder of Winegard Motors (Caledonia).
His father William Winegard was a veteran of both world wars, the first mayor of Caledonia, Ontario and the founder of Winegard Motors (Caledonia).
University of Toronto.
Born in Hamilton, Ontario, he served during World World War II in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1942–1945, becoming the youngest officer in the history of the Canadian Navy. In 1952, William received his doctorate in metallurgical engineering from the University of Toronto and he taught there until 1967. From 1967 to 1975, he was President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guelph.
In 1980, he was made a Fellow of the American Society for Metals (American Society for Microbiology).
He was elected as a Progressive Conservative Party candidate in the riding of Guelph in the 1984 federal election. He was re-elected in the 1988 election in the riding of Guelph—Wellington.
He was the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for International Trade from 1988 to 1989, the Minister of State (Science and Technology) from 1989 to 1990, and the Minister for Science from 1990 to 1993. He currently resides in Guelph, Ontario and is active in many charitable organizations.
He and several other community activists, formed a group they call the Old Manitoba"s Club, and they want the site of the former Guelph Correctional Centre to remain green and are opposed to development on that land.
He is also against the Ontario Liberal Government"s decision to close the Guelph Pacemaker Clinic, forcing about 2,000 Guelphites, mainly seniors to go to Kitchener for treatment. On November 11, 2014, he spoke at the Remembrance Day service in Guelph, in which he criticized the Harper Government for its handling of Canadian Veterans.