Newfoundland and Labrador has lost a pillar of the province’s judicial and political landscape.

William (Bill) Marshall, a 16-year veteran of the House of Assembly, and former justice of the Appeal Court died on Wednesday.

He was 87.

A native of St. John’s, Marshall served as a Tory MHA in the Legislature from 1970 to 1986, holding several senior cabinet posts in the Moores and Peckford governments.

As energy minister and later critic for the portfolio, he also played a key role in the drafting of the Atlantic Accord regarding offshore resources.

Marshall was appointed to the province’s Court of Appeal in 1986, serving on the bench until retirement in 2003.

He was also appointed to conduct the independent review of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, which the Lamer Commission recommended be set up to eliminate prosecutorial “Crown culture” that contributed to wrongful convictions in the province.

In a statement on Marshall’s passing, current Tory Leader David Brazil noted he was proud to have been in the room with Marshall during the signing of the historic Atlantic Accord, adding “no other agreement has been as important to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador since Confederation with Canada.”

Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced.