Frank Howard (politician)

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For other people with this name, see Frank Howard.

Frank Howard (born April 26, 1925) is a Canadian trade unionist and politician.

Born in Kimberley, British Columbia, Howard had a troubled childhood. His mother was a prostitute and his father was possibly her pimp. Howard was placed with foster parents at the age of six. At the age of 12 a judge sentenced him to six years in the custody of the Children's Aid Society. While being taken to a Vancouver orphanage, he was sexually abused by the policeman accompanying him. At the age of 18, Howard committed an armed robbery, and was sentenced to two years in prison. Upon release, however, he vowed never to return to crime.

After a career as a logger and labour union organizer, Howard was elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia as a BC CCF MLA in 1953. He was defeated in 1956 but won a seat in the House of Commons representing Skeena in the 1957 election.

Howard sat first as a member of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and then for its successor, the New Democratic Party (NDP). In Parliament, Howard and his caucus colleague Arnold Peters were responsible for reforming Canada's divorce laws, and for achieving significant reforms to Canada's prison system. Howard was also instrumental in attaining full voting rights for Canadian First Nations.

Howard stood as a candidate in the 1971 NDP leadership convention, finishing fifth. He was an Member of Parliament for seventeen years until he lost his seat in the 1974 general election.

In 1979, Howard returned to politics, running again for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. He won that election and served as Skeena's Member of the Legislative Assembly until 1986.

Howard published an autobiography, From Prison to Parliament, in 2003.