Howard McCurdy

Howard Douglas McCurdy is a retired Canadian politician and university professor.

Born December 10, 1932, in London, Ontario, McCurdy studied at the University of Western Ontario where he received a Bachelor of Arts and later at Assumption University where he received a Bachelor of Science. He was awarded a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in microbiology and chemistry from Michigan State University. McCurdy has also served for a time as Michigan State University's president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

From 1979 to 1984, McCurdy served the city of Windsor as an alderman and later joined the New Democratic Party, eventually becoming the party's first African-Canadian Member of Parliament. He served as the MP for the riding of Windsor—Walkerville from the 1984 election until riding redistribution in 1988. In the 1988 election he was reelected in the new riding of Windsor—Lake St. Clair, where he served until his defeat in the 1993 federal election. He was also a candidate for the party leadership in the 1989 leadership convention which selected Audrey McLaughlin.

McCurdy campaigned for the Ontario New Democratic Party nomination in Windsor—Sandwich in the buildup to the 1995 provincial election, but was unexpectedly defeated by Arlene Rousseau. McCurdy had been endorsed by Premier Bob Rae, while Rousseau was an ally of party dissidents such as Peter Kormos.

In 2003, he supported Bill Blaikie's campaign for NDP leader.