William Earl Rowe was born in Iowa of Canadian parents in 1894. He later moved to Ontario and was a farmer and cattle breeder. Rowe served as a Member of Provincial Parliament from 1923 to 1925, and was then elected to the House of Commons, where he served until 1935. From 1936 to 1937 he was Leader of Conservative Party of Ontario. In 1937 he was re-elected to the House of Commons and served until 1958. Rowe was Lieutenant Governor from 1963 to 1968. A champion and supporter of agriculture and rural affairs, he died in 1984 at Newton Robinson, Ontario.