Harvey Norman Murray Patterson (September 12, 1924 – April 8, 2014) was a

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politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

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, Canada. He served as a New Democratic member of the

Legislative Assembly of Manitoba The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba () is the deliberative assembly of the Manitoba Legislature in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly at List of Manitoba genera ...

from 1973 to 1975. His term in office is usually remembered for the controversial nature of his election.

Early life and career

The son of Norman Clifford Patterson and Isabel Baker, he was born in

Roland Roland (; ; or ''Rotholandus''; or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. The historical Roland was mil ...

, Manitoba and educated at

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

, and served overseas with the

Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders or 79th (The Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders) Regiment of Foot was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1793. It amalgamated with the Seaforth Highlanders (the Duke of Albany's) to form ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Patterson married Margaret Black in 1946. Before entering politics, he worked as a tractor trailer driver. In 1961, he was a delegate to the founding convention of the

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. He was actively involved in Winnipeg's labour movement, serving as President of the Winnipeg Labour Council in the early 1970s (at a time when the WLC was losing members to the

Manitoba Federation of Labour The Manitoba Federation of Labour is the Manitoba provincial trade union federation of the Canadian Labour Congress The Canadian Labour Congress, or CLC ( or ), is a national trade union centre, the central labour body in Canada to which most ...

). He was also the chairman for the province's 1970 Panel on Labour Relations and its 1971 Panel on Human Rights and Consumer Affairs.

Political career

In the provincial election of 1973, Patterson ran for the NDP in the Winnipeg riding of

Crescentwood Crescentwood is a former electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was created in 1969, abolished in 1979, re-established in 1989, and abolished again in 1999. The Crescentwood riding was located in Winnipeg's south-central re ...

against Progressive Conservative Lawrie Pollard and

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

June Menzies. Patterson won on election night, but a judicial recount invalidated 150 ballots and handed the victory to Pollard. The recount was appealed and a revised count was a tie. The returning officer broke the tie in Patterson's favour. After an investigation into the ballot-counting process, Patterson's election was declared void on February 20, 1975. He ran again in the succeeding

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

, but finished third against Progressive Conservative Warren Steen and Liberal leader

Charles Huband Charles R. Huband (February 23, 1932–June 14, 2023) was a Manitoba politician, who subsequently became a judge. He was the leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party between 1975 and 1978. Huband attended the University of Manitoba in the 1950 ...

. He did not seek a return to public office after this time.

Post electoral career

In 1978, Patterson became Executive Secretary of the Winnipeg Labour Council. He retired in the mid-1980s.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, Harvey 1924 births 2014 deaths New Democratic Party of Manitoba MLAs People from Pembina Valley Region, Manitoba Canadian military personnel of World War II 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba