Phil Curls

Phil B. Curls, Sr. (April 2, 1942 – May 4, 2007) was an American Democratic politician. He served in the Missouri House of Representatives from 1972 to 1982, and in the Missouri Senate from 1984 to 1998.

Early life
Curls was born in Kansas City, Missouri. His father helped found Freedom, Inc., the oldest African American political club in the country. He graduated from DeLaSalle High School and Rockhurst College in Kansas City.

Career
Curls worked as a real estate broker and appraiser. He was a founding member of the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus Foundation. He served in the Missouri House of Representatives from 1972 to 1982, and he won a special election in 1983 to the Missouri Senate serving from 1984 to 1996.

Death
He died in 2007, the same week that his wife, Melba Curls, was inaugurated as an at-large councilwoman for Kansas City. In 2017, a senior living development in Kansas City was named Curls Manor after him.