Howard McCurdy

Howard McCurdy CM OOnt
Member of Parliament for Windsor—St. Clair (Windsor—Walkerville; 1984–1988)
In office 4 September 1984 – 25 October 1993
Preceded by	Mark MacGuigan
Succeeded by	Shaughnessy Cohen
Alderman Ward 3, Windsor City Council
In office 10 November 1980 – 24 September 1984
Preceded by	Don Clarke
Succeeded by	Mike Patrick[1]
President of the National Black Coalition of Canada
In office 1969–197?
President of the Windsor Black Coalition
In office 2003–2005
Personal details
Born	Howard Douglas McCurdy (1932-12-10)10 December 1932 London, Ontario, Canada
Died	20 February 2018(2018-02-20) (aged 85) Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Political party	New Democratic Party
Spouse	Brenda Lee
Children	4
Residence(s)	Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Profession	Biochemist, professor

Howard Douglas McCurdy CM OOnt (10 December 1932 – 20 February 2018) was a Canadian civil rights activist, politician and university professor. He grew up in Southwestern Ontario before moving to the Windsor, Ontario, area. He did his undergraduate work at what is now known as the University of Windsor and doctoral degree at Michigan State University. He became a tenured professor at the University of Windsor and eventually became a department head. In 1980, he entered politics when he was elected to the City of Windsor's council. In 1984, McCurdy entered federal politics when he won a seat in the House of Commons. He was the second Black Canadian to serve in parliament and the first for the New Democratic Party of Canada. He lost his seat during a Liberal Party sweep of Ontario ridings in the 1993 federal election. In 2012 he earned several awards including the Order of Ontario and the Order of Canada. In later life he had many health issues and died in the Windsor-area in 2018.