Harry Blank

Harry Blank
Harry Blank
Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for Montréal–Saint-Louis
	In office; 1960–1966
Preceded by	Dave Rochon
Succeeded by	District abolished
Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for Saint-Louis
	In office; 1966–1985
Preceded by	District created
Succeeded by	Jacques Chagnon
Personal details
Born	May 24, 1925 (age 99); Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Political party	Liberal
Alma mater	McGill University
Profession	Lawyer, politician
Awards	Queen's Counsel
Military service
Branch/service	Canadian Army

Harry Blank KC (born May 24, 1925) is a Canadian politician from Quebec and a seven-term member of the National Assembly of Quebec.^[1]

Early background

Blank is Jewish. He was born on May 24, 1925, in Montreal, Quebec, and was the son of Udel Blank and Molly Zinman. He served in the Canadian Army during World War II,^[2] serving during the waning months of the war in Europe. He attended college at McGill University and was admitted to the Bar of Quebec in 1950.

Political career

In the 1960 election, Blank ran as a Liberal candidate in the provincial district of Montréal–Saint-Louis. Even though the Liberal vote was divided between his supporters and those of incumbent Dave Rochon, he narrowly won the election. He was easily re-elected in 1962; and in the district of Saint-Louis he was re-elected in the 1966, 1970, 1973, 1976 and 1981 elections. He was appointed Deputy Vice President of the National Assembly in 1971 and was Vice President (Deputy Speaker) of that institution from 1973 until 1976.

Decline

In the 1985 election, Official Opposition Leader Robert Bourassa prevented Blank from running as a Liberal candidate and offered the nomination to star candidate Jacques Chagnon.

Blank refused to retire from politics and ran as an Independent candidate. He received 20% of the vote and finished third behind Chagnon, who won the election, and the Parti Québécois candidate.

Retirement

After his defeat, Blank returned to law practice. He had been named Queen's Counsel in 1971. He still resides in Montreal.

Footnotes

^ "Biography". Dictionnaire des parlementaires du Québec de 1792 à nos jours (in French). National Assembly of Quebec.
^ "Harry Blank (BBHS '41) | Baron Byng High School Museum". www.baronbynghighschool.ca. Archived from the original on 23 October 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.

National Assembly of Quebec
Preceded by Dave Rochon (Liberal)	MLA for Montréal–Saint-Louis 1960–1966	Succeeded by None, district abolished
Preceded by None, district created	MLA / MNA for Saint-Louis 1966–1985	Succeeded by Jacques Chagnon (Liberal)

[1] "Biography". Dictionnaire des parlementaires du Québec de 1792 à nos jours (in French). National Assembly of Quebec.

[2] "Harry Blank (BBHS '41) | Baron Byng High School Museum". www.baronbynghighschool.ca. Archived from the original on 23 October 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.

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