Fleming Blanchard McCurdy

{{Short description|Canadian politician (1875–1952)}} {{Use Canadian English|date=September 2021}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = [[The Honourable]] | name = Fleming Blanchard McCurdy | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC|size=100%}} | image = Fleming Blanchard McCurdy.jpg | constituency_MP = [[Shelburne and Queen's]] | parliament = Canadian | predecessor = [[William Stevens Fielding]] | successor = [[William Stevens Fielding]] | term_start = 1911 | term_end = 1917 | constituency_MP2 = [[Colchester (federal electoral district)|Colchester]] | parliament2 = Canadian | predecessor2 = [[John Stanfield]] | successor2 = [[Harold Putnam (Canadian politician)|Harold Putnam]] | term_start2 = 1917 | term_end2 = 1921 | birth_date = {{birth date|1875|02|17}} | birth_place = Old Barns, Nova Scotia | death_date = {{death date and age|1952|08|29|1875|02|17}} | death_place = | spouse = | party = | cabinet = Minister of Public Works (1920–1921) | relations = | children = | alma_mater = | occupation = | profession = }} '''Fleming Blanchard McCurdy''', {{Post-nominals|country=CAN|PC}} (February 17, 1875 – August 29, 1952) was a [[Canadian]] politician.

Born in [[Old Barns, Nova Scotia|Old Barns]], [[Nova Scotia]], he was elected to the [[House of Commons of Canada]] for the Nova Scotia riding of [[Shelburne and Queen's]] in the [[1911 Canadian federal election|1911 election]] as a [[Conservative Party of Canada (historic)|Conservative]]. He was re-elected in the [[1917 Canadian federal election|1917 election]] for the riding of [[Colchester (federal electoral district)|Colchester]] as a supporter of Sir [[Robert Laird Borden]]'s [[Unionist Party of Canada|Unionist]] government.

In 1916, he was one of the first parliamentarians to be appointed a [[Parliamentary Secretary]], when he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary of Militia and Defence for [[Sam Hughes]]. He was also the Parliamentary Secretary of Soldiers' Civil Re-establishment. Upon his appointment to Borden's [[Canadian Cabinet|Cabinet]] in 1920 as [[Minister of Public Works (Canada)|Minister of Public Works]] he was required by the custom of the time to resign his seat and run in a [[by-election]]. By this point it was customary for Cabinet ministers running in by-elections to be acclaimed however, the newly formed [[Progressive Party of Canada|United Farmers]] party contested the by-election with a United-Farmers/[[Labour Party of Canada|Labour]] candidate. McCurdy opted to face this challenge by running as a Nationalist Liberal rather than as a Conservative and was re-elected, though narrowly. It is possible he chose this banner as the Unionist Party had formally changed its name to the [[National Liberal and Conservative Party]] by this time or as a means of facing down the threat from a left-wing candidate. In any case, Blanchard ran the following year in the [[1921 Canadian federal election|1921 election]] as a Conservative and was defeated. {{1917 Canadian federal election/Colchester}}

{{CanElec1-by|20 September 1920|On Mr. McCurdy being appointed Minister of Public Works, 13 July 1920}} {{CANelec|CA|Nationalist Liberal|Fleming Blanchard McCurdy|6,478}} {{CANelec|CA|United Farmers|Hugh Archibald Dickson|5,034}} {{end}} {{1921 Canadian federal election/Colchester}}

==References== * {{Canadian Parliament links|ID=3546}} * [http://www.leg.bc.ca/hansard/34th1st/34p_01s_871130p.htm Debates of the Legislative Assembly]

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCurdy, Fleming Blanchard}} [[Category:1875 births]] [[Category:1952 deaths]] [[Category:Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs]] [[Category:Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Nova Scotia]] [[Category:Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada]] [[Category:Unionist Party (Canada) MPs]] [[Category:20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada]]