Mel Swart

Who was Mel Swart?

Melvin Leroy Swart was a Canadian politician in Ontario. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a New Democrat from 1975 to 1988.

Born in London, Ontario, Swart was educated at Smithville Secondary School, and worked as a foreman. He served as a councillor in Thorold from 1948 to 1950, and was deputy reeve from 1951 to 1954 and reeve from 1955 to 1965. He became a warden for Welland County in 1961, and was president of the Association of Ontario Mayors and Reeves in 1961-62. He later served temporarily as its part-time executive director around 1970.

Swart campaigned for the Canadian House of Commons five times, but was never successful. He was defeated in Welland as a candidate of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation in a 1950 by-election, and in the general elections of 1953, 1957 and 1958.

He ran again for the federal New Democratic Party in the 1962 election, and was again defeated. On all five occasions, he finished third against his Progressive Conservative and Liberal opponents.

His provincial career was initially no more successful. He challenged Progressive Conservative incumbent Ellis Morningstar for the Welland provincial constituency in the 1967 election, but lost by 260 votes. He ran again in the 1971 election, and lost by a greater margin.