Herb Gray, a life of dedicated public service

Herb Gray was first elected to the House of Commons on June 18, 1962 — a politically green 31-year-old lawyer from Windsor. He would end up sitting as an MP in the minority government of Lester Pearson. And the rest, as they say, is history. Gray, who died Tuesday at the age of 82, would go on to serve in the governments of four different Liberal prime ministers, hold myriad cabinet portfolios and the title of deputy prime minister.

Gray would win 13 elections between 1962 and 2002 representing the riding of Windsor West, making him Canada’s third longest-serving MP at 39 years, six months and 29 days. In all, Gray, served for a record 14,397 consecutive days.

Gray was also Canada’s first Jewish cabinet minister and one of a handful of Canadians who have been granted the title “The Right Honourable,” a distinction usually reserved for prime ministers.

Liberal cabinet colleague John Manley remembers Gray as a principled politician who was “all about public service.”

“He was a person who had a strong social conscience, somebody who was principled and committed. He was representative of the very best of politics...”

But that is not the whole story of Herb Eser Gray. His death was a reminder to all of us of what it means to be a truly dedicated, hardworking politician. One who always put the constituents of Windsor West, as well as the interests of his city, first.

It’s difficult to think of any local politician who was so overwhelmingly respected in this community. He was an icon, he was an institution, and deservedly so.

Once asked to name his most significant accomplishment, Gray pointed to his role in saving Chrysler Canada from collapse in the early 1980s, preserving thousands of jobs in Windsor.

It was an essential lifeline for an economically devastated region where more than 20 per cent of the workforce was unemployed and personal bankruptcies were running rampant. The Windsor Assembly Plant stands as a worthy legacy to Gray’s four decades in office.

Gray also had a tremendous influence on a generation of young local politicians and community leaders, including former Ontario cabinet ministers Dwight Duncan and Sandra Pupatello. Like many others, they learned the political ropes volunteering for Gray.

“He influenced not only my outlook on politics, but my outlook on life. He was a wonderful mentor,” Duncan said. “He was first and foremost a Windsor person. Windsor was always at the centre of everything he was about.”

Gray was also a man who loved rock ’n’ roll. He was a great fan of Bruce Springsteen, and we suspect he knew this line well: “At the end of every hard-earned day, people find some reason to believe.”

That’s what he did. He believed.