Herb Gray

Gray was born in Windsor, Ontario, the son of Fannie (née Lifitz), a nurse, and Harry Gray, who had a business selling yard goods. His parents were both from Belarusian Jewish families.{{cite book|last=Plaut|first=Jonathan V.|author-link=Jonathan V. Plaut|title=The Jews of Windsor, 1790-1990: A Historical Chronicle|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=McCNqlE_Tc0C&pg=PA215|access-date=November 28, 2014|year=2007|publisher=Dundurn|location=Toronto|isbn=978-1-55002-706-8|page=215}} Gray attended Victoria School and Kennedy Collegiate Institute in Windsor before receiving a Bachelor of Commerce degree in 1952 from McGill University.{{cite web|title=McGill News - Spring '98|url=http://news-archive.mcgill.ca/sp98/activities.htm|access-date=December 11, 2007|archive-date=February 23, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060223124259/http://www.news-archive.mcgill.ca/sp98/activities.htm|url-status=dead}} He studied at Osgoode Hall Law School, where he received a Bachelor of Laws degree and was called to the bar, becoming a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada.{{cite web|title=Member Contact Information |work=Law Society of Upper Canada |url=http://www1.lsuc.on.ca/MemberDirectory/loadSingleResultPage.do?startPoint=10¤tPoint=18&iD=cwiNzgSPzP8%3D&iD=1197368894052 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002040421/http://www1.lsuc.on.ca/MemberDirectory/loadSingleResultPage.do?startPoint=10¤tPoint=18&iD=cwiNzgSPzP8%3D&iD=1197368894052 |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 2, 2022 }}

On July 23, 1967, Gray married Sharon Sholzberg, also a lawyer. They had two children together – Jonathan David and Elizabeth Anne.

Gray was first elected to Parliament for the riding of Essex West on June 18, 1962, as a member of the Liberal Party of Canada. He was re-elected in twelve subsequent federal elections, making him the longest continuously-serving Member of Parliament in Canadian history.[http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/key/service_parl.asp?Language=E&Hist=Y&cham=H&begin=12784&end=14609&Service=B&s_t=G&nm= Members of the House of Commons—1867 to Date—Continuous Years of Service] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060529071748/http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/key/service_parl.asp?Language=E |date=May 29, 2006 }}. Parliament of Canada. Retrieved on December 6, 2006.

Gray served in a variety of roles during his parliamentary career, including cabinet ministries and committee chairmanships during the Liberal governments of Lester Pearson and Pierre Trudeau, and as opposition House leader from 1984 to 1990.

From February 6, 1990, to December 21, 1990, he was Leader of the Opposition, during John Turner's last four months as Liberal leader and the first few months of Jean Chrétien's leadership, until the latter won a by-election to Parliament. Gray's tenure as Leader of the Opposition saw the failure of the Meech Lake Accord, with Gray publicly laying the blame for its failure on Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in a televised address the day after its failure.{{cite news |title=Failure of the Meech Lake Accord |url=https://www.c-span.org/program/international-telecasts/failure-of-the-meech-lake-accord/8673 |access-date=30 May 2025 |agency=C-SPAN |date=26 June 1990}}

When the Liberals returned to power after the 1993 election, Gray was appointed Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Solicitor General of Canada. On June 11, 1997, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Canada.

Gray also retained an interest in provincial politics in the Windsor area. In 1996, he was named as honorary co-chair of Dwight Duncan's bid to the lead the provincial Liberal Party. Duncan had previously worked in Gray's office.

File:Bust of Herb Gray, Windsor, Ontario, Canada 2014-12-07.jpg

Gray retired from Parliament on January 14, 2002, and was appointed Canadian Chair of the International Joint Commission, a bilateral organization which deals with Canada-United States trans-boundary issues on water and air rights.

File:Herb Gray 2008.jpg

On November 28, 2008, Carleton University announced that Gray had been appointed as the university's 10th chancellor.[https://carleton.ca/newsroom/news-releases/rt-hon-herb-gray-named-carleton-university-chancellor/ Carleton University Newsroom - The Right Honourable Herb Gray, P.C., C.C., Q.C. Named Carleton University Chancellor] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426115116/http://newsroom.carleton.ca/2008/11/28/rt-hon-herb-gray-named-carleton-university-chancellor/ |date=April 26, 2014 }}. Retrieved on December 5, 2008. He died in hospital in Ottawa on April 21, 2014, aged 82.{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/herb-gray-the-godfather-of-politics-dies-at-82/article18089379/ |title=Herb Gray, former deputy prime minister, dies at 82 |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=April 21, 2014 |access-date=September 18, 2014 }}

On January 15, 2002, then-Governor General of Canada Adrienne Clarkson granted Gray the style "The Right Honourable", in honour of his distinguished and record-setting contribution to Canadian political life. In 2003, he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada, a designation which can be bestowed on only 165 outstanding Canadians at any given time, in recognition of being "an enduring force in Canadian politics".{{OCC|8944}} He was a recipient of the Canadian Centennial Medal, the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal, the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Medal, Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. He received honorary degrees from the University of Windsor, Assumption University (Windsor), Catholic University of Lublin (Poland), McGill University, and the University of Ottawa, and Honorary Lifetime Membership as Governor #71 with Junior Chamber International Canada (JCI Canada). In 2009, he became an honorary brother of Alpha Epsilon Pi.{{cite news|title=Gray goes Greek|url=http://www.charlatan.ca/2009/03/gray-goes-greek/|access-date=January 23, 2014|newspaper=The Charlatan: Carleton's Independent Weekly|date=March 27, 2009|archive-date=February 1, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201174855/http://www.charlatan.ca/2009/03/gray-goes-greek/|url-status=dead}}

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The extension of Highway 401 in Windsor (originally the Windsor-Essex Parkway) was renamed the Right Honourable Herb Gray Parkway on November 28, 2012.

Gray was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 1996 and recovered after radiation therapy. In 1999, he had an operation to treat a prostate condition unrelated to the cancer. In August 2001, Gray underwent valve replacement surgery to correct a heart condition he had known about for years.

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|1962|percent=yes|change=yes}}

{{CANelec|CA|Liberal|Herb Gray| 18,152|45.55|+11.25}}

{{CANelec|CA|PC|Norman L. Spencer| 11,018|27.65|−18.10}}

{{CANelec|CA|NDP|Bill Tepperman| 9,771|24.52|+5.43}}

{{CANelec|CA|Social Credit|Ray Gagnier| 649|1.63|+0.77}}

{{CANelec|CA|Co-operative Builders|Edgar-Bernard Charron|261|0.65|}}

{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes| 39,851|100.00}}

|}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|1963|percent=yes|change=yes}}

{{CANelec|CA|Liberal|Herb Gray| 23,165|56.14|+10.59}}

{{CANelec|CA|PC|Tom Brophey| 10,946|26.53|−1.12}}

{{CANelec|CA|NDP|Trevor Price| 6,267|15.19|−9.33}}

{{CANelec|CA|Social Credit|Ray Gagnier| 884|2.14|+0.51}}

{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes| 41,262|100.00}}

|}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|1965|percent=yes|change=yes}}

{{CANelec|CA|Liberal|Herb Gray|21,525|56.12|−0.02}}

{{CANelec|CA|PC|Austin Dixon| 10,298|26.85|+0.22}}

{{CANelec|CA|NDP|Hugh Peacock| 5,739|14.96|−0.23}}

{{CANelec|CA|Independent|Don Armstrong| 413|1.08|}}

{{CANelec|CA|Social Credit|Jack Backer| 379|0.99|−1.15}}

{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes| 38,354|100.00}}

|}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|1968|percent=yes|change=no}}

{{CANelec|CA|Liberal|Herb Gray|16,442|54.06}}

{{CANelec|CA|NDP|Stuart Ross|8,972|29.50}}

{{CANelec|CA|PC|William J. Waldron|5,002|16.45}}

{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes| 30,416|100.00}}

{{end}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|1972|percent=yes|change=yes}}

{{CANelec|CA|Liberal|Herb Gray|17,966|49.20|−4.86}}

{{CANelec|CA|NDP|Paul Forder|13,110|35.90|+6.40 }}

{{CANelec|CA|PC|John Gunning|5,441|14.90|−1.55}}

{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes| 36,517|100.00}}

{{end}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|1974|percent=yes|change=yes}}

{{CANelec|CA|Liberal|Herb Gray|19,474|55.97|+6.77}}

{{CANelec|CA|NDP|Ron Seale|10,630|30.55|−5.35 }}

{{CANelec|CA|PC|Bill McKay|4,466|12.84|−2.06}}

{{CANelec|CA|Marxist-Leninist|Ray Greig|222|0.64|}}

{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes|34,792 |100.00}}

{{end}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|1979|percent=yes|change=yes}}

{{CANelec|CA|Liberal|Herb Gray|16,943|48.56|−7.41}}

{{CANelec|CA|NDP|Maxine Jones|11,906|34.12|+3.57 }}

{{CANelec|CA|PC|Bob Krause|5,869|16.82 |+3.98}}

{{CANelec|CA|Communist|Gerard O'Neill|102|0.29|}}

{{CANelec|CA|Marxist-Leninist|M. Villamizar|74|0.21|−0.43}}

{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes|34,894 |100.00}}

{{end}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|1980|percent=yes|change=yes}}

{{CANelec|CA|Liberal|Herb Gray|19,755|58.50|+9.94}}

{{CANelec|CA|NDP|Maxine Jones|9,785|28.98|−4.14 }}

{{CANelec|CA|PC|Ned Griffith|4,107|12.16 |−4.66}}

{{CANelec|CA|Communist|Gerard O'Neill|72|0.21|}}

{{CANelec|CA|Marxist-Leninist|Margaret Villamizar|49|0.15|−0.06}}

{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes|33,768 |100.00}}

{{end}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|1984|percent=yes|change=yes}}

{{CANelec|CA|Liberal|Herb Gray|13,624|40.55|−17.95}}

{{CANelec|CA|NDP|Paul Forder|11,503|34.23|+5.25}}

{{CANelec|CA|PC|Marty Goldberg|8,158|24.28|+12.12}}

{{CANelec|CA|Rhinoceros (historical)|Martin X. Deck|232|0.69|}}

{{CANelec|CA|Communist|Mike Longmoore|84|0.25|+0.04}}

{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes|33,601 |100.00}}

{{end}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|1988|percent=yes|change=yes}}

{{CANelec|CA|Liberal|Herb Gray|23,796|56.24|+15.69}}

{{CANelec|CA|NDP|Paul Forder|12,143|27.80|−6.43}}

{{CANelec|CA|PC|Bert Silcox|6,131|14.49|−9.79}}

{{CANelec|CA|Independent|Robert Cruise|127|0.30|}}

{{CANelec|CA|Communist|Maggie Bizzell|112|0.26 |}}

{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes| 42,309|100.00}}

{{end}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|1993|percent=yes|change=yes}}

{{CANelec|CA|Liberal|Herb Gray|27,008|73.00 |+16.76}}

{{CANelec|CA|Reform|Brett Skinner|4,179|11.30 |}}

{{CANelec|CA|NDP|Emily Carasco|3,359|9.08|−18.72}}

{{CANelec|CA|PC|Dan Friesen|1,663|4.49|−10.00}}

{{CANelec|CA|Green|Sarah Atkinson|395|1.07|}}

{{CANelec|CA|Natural Law|Larry Decter|138|0.37|}}

{{CANelec|CA|Independent|Bill Steptoe|128|0.35|}}

{{CANelec|CA|Marxist-Leninist|Robert Cruise|93|0.25|−0.05}}

{{CANelec|CA|Abolitionist|Rose Pope|35|0.09|}}

{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes|36,998 |100.00}}

{{end}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|1997|percent=yes|change=yes}}

{{CANelec|CA|Liberal|Herb Gray|21,877|55.20|−17.80 }}

{{CANelec|CA|NDP|Tom Milne|9,411|23.74 |+14.66}}

{{CANelec|CA|Reform|Jeff Watson|5,295|13.36|+2.06 }}

{{CANelec|CA|PC|Dan Friesen|2,452|6.19|+1.70}}

{{CANelec|CA|Green|Richard Warman|398|1.00|−0.07}}

{{CANelec|CA|Marxist-Leninist|Robert Cruise|199|0.50|+0.25}}

{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes|39,632 |100.00}}

{{end}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|2000|percent=yes|change=yes}}

{{CANelec|CA|Liberal|Herb Gray|20,729|54.21|−0.99 }}

{{CANelec|CA|Canadian Alliance|Jeff Watson|8,777|22.95|+9.59}}

{{CANelec|CA|NDP|John McGinlay|6,080|15.90|−7.84}}

{{CANelec|CA|PC|Ian West|2,116|5.53|−0.66 }}

{{CANelec|CA|Independent|Christopher Soda|304|0.80|}}

{{CANelec|CA|Marxist-Leninist|Enver Villamizar|229|0.60|+0.10}}

{{Canadian election result/total|Total valid votes| 38,235|100.00}}

{{end}}

Note: Canadian Alliance vote is compared to the Reform vote in 1997 election.

There is a Herb Gray fonds at Library and Archives Canada.{{Cite web|title=Herb Gray fonds, Library and Archives Canada|date = July 20, 2017|url=http://central.bac-lac.gc.ca/.redirect?app=fonandcol&id=4594322&lang=eng|access-date=September 18, 2020}}

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