[1][2] His father, Harry Roberts, was a noted medical doctor in St. John's who founded a major pharmaceutical distribution company in Newfoundland and was also the owner of the Battery Hotel.
[3] After attending Holloway School and Prince of Wales Collegiate in his hometown, Roberts completed his secondary education at St. Andrew's College in Aurora, Ontario.
[4][5] Moreover, the Health Sciences Centre hospital in St. John's was built and the Memorial University of Newfoundland Faculty of Medicine was established during his time in office.
[3] He won leadership of the provincial Liberals on the first ballot in February 1972, after Smallwood initially left politics, and consequently became Leader of the Opposition.
[3][4] He eventually relented and was appointed Minister of Justice and Attorney General, as well as Government House Leader, in February 1992.
[4] Roberts was the only person to serve as a cabinet minister in the province's first three Liberal governments, those of Smallwood, Wells, and Tobin, with a political career spanning thirty years.
[7] After retiring from politics, Roberts served as chairman of the Board of Regents of Memorial University of Newfoundland from 1997 until his appointment as lieutenant governor in 2002.
[5][9] His term as lieutenant governor was due to expire in 2007, but he was asked by prime minister Stephen Harper in September 2007 to remain in his post for four more months.