Norman Atkins, a former Progressive Conservative senator who steered the Big Blue Machine of successive federal and provincial election campaigns for the party, has died in Fredericton at age 76.

Former Progressive Conservative senator Norman Atkins died Tuesday night in Fredericton. (Parliament of Canada)Atkins was named to the Senate by then Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in 1986 and retired from the Red Chamber last year.

In a statement Wednesday announcing Atkins's death the previous night, Conservative Senator Hugh Segal hailed his friend and colleague's "wisdom, creativity and organizational skill" that guided such federal and provincial Progressive Conservatives as Mulroney, Robert Stanfield, Hugh John Flemming, William Davis, Richard Hatfield and Duff Roblin.

"He believed in a positive politics of moderation and inclusion, organizational competence and respect for local needs and aspirations," Segal said.

"He was and will always be the engineer in chief and engineer emeritus of the Big Blue Machine."

Born in Montclair, N.J., Atkins was brought from business into Canadian advertising circles and eventually politics by his brother-in-law, Dalton Camp, a major backroom player for the Tories in the 1960s and 1970s.

With files from The Canadian Press