Fred Durhal
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Fred Durhal Jr. (born 1951) is an American politician who served as a member of the
Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2020 ...
.2013–2014 Michigan Manual
State Representative Fred Durhal, Jr.
/ref> Durhal was born on December 27, 1951, to Doris Jean and Fred Durhal Sr., in
Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...
, the family moved to Detroit in 1952. Durhal attended schools in Detroit graduating from Detroit's
Northwestern High School (Michigan) Detroit Collegiate Preparatory Academy at Northwestern is a public high school in Detroit, part of Detroit Public Schools, the re-named successor to Northwestern High School. The most recent enrollment figures for Northwestern indicate a studen ...
. He then attended
Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...
,
Wayne County Community College District Wayne County Community College District (WCCCD), commonly known as WC3, is a public community college district with its headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. It was founded in 1967 and has six campuses: Eastern, Downtown, Downriver, Northwest, Weste ...
and the
University of Phoenix University of Phoenix (UoPX) is a Private university, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit university headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1976, the university confers certificates and degrees at the Ac ...
. Majoring in Political Science and Government Administration. Rep. Durhal is divorced, and the father of six children. Durhal was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2002, after a contentious court battle with then Gov. John Engler, who refused to schedule a special election to fill the seat vacated by the election of Kwame Kilpatrick as Mayor of Detroit. Durhal sued Gov. Engler in federal court and eventually won the right to have the election scheduled. Durhal then won the vacant seat. Mr. Durhal served three and one half terms making him the last "Dean" (highest seniority) member of the legislature. Prior to being elected, Mr. Durhal served as the Executive Director of the Virginia Park Citizens District Council, the nonprofit community organization responsible for the rehabilitation of the Detroit neighborhood that was ravaged during the 1967 Riots. Durhal served as an assistant to Detroit Mayor Coleman A. Young; District Director for U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Rose Collins (D, 13th Dist. Michigan); Community Development Specialist for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), Program Manager for the Michigan Land Bank Fast Track Authority; Economic Development Director on Loan from the state MEDC to the City of Highland Park, Michigan; Deputy Director of the Detroit Charter Revision Commission, He served as the first Black Political Director of the Michigan State Democratic Party; as Communication Specialist for the Michigan House of Representatives Central Staff; Executive Director and later Chairman of the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus; .During his election as State Representative in 2008 Durhal was elected on the same ticket as U.S. Senator Barack Obama, the first Black U.S. President. Durhal's legislative record includes, Appropriations Chair of General Government; Vice Chairman of Corrections Appropriations Sub Committee, Co-Sponsor, Michigan Amber Alert Acts; Sponsor of Detroit Bankruptcy 'Grand Bargain' Act that released the city from the historic Chapter 9 Bankruptcy by transferring $1.8 M from state government to the city to save pensions for city workers. Durhal has numerous Public Acts signed into law.


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bio of Durhal
Living people 1951 births Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives African-American state legislators in Michigan 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century members of the Michigan Legislature {{Michigan-MIRepresentative-stub