1856 Toronto municipal election

Last updated

City of Toronto 1856 Municipal Election
  1855 January 7, 1856 (1856-01-07) 1857  

All 28 members of Toronto City Council
Mayor appointed by majority of City Council

Nominees for Mayor
John Beverley Robinson.png John Hutchison.png
Candidate John Beverley Robinson

(elected 15 - 11)

John Hutchison

The 1856 City of Toronto Municipal Election was the city's 22nd municipal election. Polling occurred on the first Monday and Tuesday of the year, January 7 and 8. Elections for Aldermen and Councilmen were held in seven wards and for the Municipal License Inspector.

Contents

After the election, John Beverley Robinson a member of the family compact and strong supporter of the railroads, was elected Mayor by City Council, beating John Hutchison a Toronto merchant, who had a reputation for opposing corruption.

Background

By the standards of 1850s civic politics, where riots disrupted voting in 1855 and 1857, the election of the Council for 1856 was quiet. [1] The issues that animated the campaign included awarding a major public works contract to complete The Esplanade, the controversy around establishing Separate Schools for Roman Catholics, and taverns licenses. [2]

The Esplanade Contract

In 1853, the City of Toronto passed the Esplanade Act to fill in land along the city's waterfront to provide a route for railways to cross the city and a public promenade along the waterfront. The contract was awarded to Gzowski and Company to construct the Esplanade, but multiple issues created a scandal, and in April 1855, City Council voted to annul the contract. However, the decision to cancel the contract led the Grand Trunk Railway, depending on the waterfront route, to threaten to place its track along Queen Street. This led to numerous public meetings and tremendous public pressure to finish the Esplanade. [3]

City Council negotiated with the Grand Trunk Railway during the election campaign to construct the Esplanade. A primary concern was who was obligated to pay for crossings over the rail corridor, the city, or the railway. [4] A special meeting was called on January 13, 1856, after the election but before the new City Council was sworn in to approve the contract, with the modification that the city was responsible for paying for and building any ramps or bridges over the railway tracks, instead of the Grand Trunk Railway. Despite the previous controversies, the outgoing City Council approved the contract unanimously. [5]

Election of the Mayor

After the municipal election, City Council convened on January 21, 1856, to elect a Mayor. The proceedings were well-attended, with the gallery filled with spectators eager to witness a contest between John Beverley Robinson, who represented the Family Compact and John Hutchison, supported by the city's burgeoning mercantile community. [6]

Alderman Dunn nominated Robinson for the position of Mayor, with the motion seconded by Councilman Davis. Alderman Dunn argued in favor of Robinson. He was the most qualified candidate and the only St. Patrick's Ward nominee not represented in the mayoral office for some time. Alderman Crooks nominated John Hutchison for Mayor, challenging Robinson's competency and criticizing him for not taking an interest in Council business when he was Alderman in 1854 and for not running for Council in 1855. Crooks also accused Robinson of arranging Councilman Moodie's absence from Council for the vote. [7]

In an attempt to influence the mayoral election, Councilman Moodie, an employee of the Grand Trunk Railway and a vocal supporter of Hutchison, was dispatched by his employer to Montreal three days before the election of the Mayor by City Council, despite his objections. [8] Notwithstanding the controversy, Robinson was elected Mayor by a majority of 4, with the motion carried 15 to 11. [7]

City Council Results

Each ward elected 2 Aldermen and 2 Councilmen. There were ten open seats in the 1856 election, and 15 members of the City Council stood for re-election. Two incumbents lost, Angus Morrison (elected to the Provincial assembly in the summer of 1854) and William Graham. [9]

St. James' Ward
PositionCandidateVotes %±Vote for Mayor
AldermenJohn HarringtonGreen check.svg Elected42740.9%N/AYea
John Hutchison Green check.svg Elected34633.1%N/ANay
HewittDark Red x.svg Lost27226.0%N/A
N/A
CouncilmenJohn Wilson(X)Green check.svg Elected31732.4%+2.3%Yea
John CameronGreen check.svg Elected24425.0%N/ANay
ThompsonDark Red x.svg Lost17417.8%N/A
N/A
MitchellDark Red x.svg Lost15816.2%N/A
N/A
A.H. St. GermainDark Red x.svg Lost848.6%N/A
N/A
St. Andrew's Ward
PositionCandidateVotes %±Vote for Mayor
AldermenJohn WorthingtonGreen check.svg Elected27941.9%N/AYea
R.P. Crooks (X)Green check.svg Elected20530.8%-4.9%Nay
RitcheyDark Red x.svg Lost18227.3%N/A
N/A
CouncilmenHenry Prettie (X)Green check.svg Elected27642.9%+15.2%Yea
Henry SproatGreen check.svg Elected22935.6%N/AYea
Charles FisherDark Red x.svg Lost13821.5%+3.7%
N/A
St. John's Ward
PositionCandidateVotes %±Vote for Mayor
AldermenJohn Bugg (X)Green check.svg Elected34752.1%+16.3%Nay
Richard DempseyGreen check.svg Elected31947.9%+15.8%Yea
CouncilmenRobert MoodieGreen check.svg Elected33646.8%+12.6%
Absent
Joseph Rowell (X)Green check.svg Elected24133.6%+3.6%Nay
CarnegieDark Red x.svg Lost14119.6%N/A
N/A
St. David's Ward
PositionCandidateVotes %±Vote for Mayor
AldermenWilliam Henderson (X)Green check.svg Elected34037.0%-3.2%Nay
John George Bowes Green check.svg Elected31834.6%N/AYea
BrookeDark Red x.svg Lost26128.4%N/A
N/A
CouncilmenAdam Beatty (X)Green check.svg Elected32832.8%-10.1%Yea
John Carruthers (X)Green check.svg Elected23523.5%-13.8%Nay
James MallonDark Red x.svg Lost22122.1%N/A
N/A
William RamseyDark Red x.svg Lost21521.5%N/A
N/A
St. Lawrence Ward
PositionCandidateVotes %±Vote for Mayor
Aldermen Alexander Manning Green check.svg Elected20439.1%+12.0%Nay
William StrachanGreen check.svg Elected18034.5%N/ANay
D.K. FeehanDark Red x.svg Lost13826.4%N/A
N/A
CouncilmenWilliam DavisGreen check.svg Elected19936.2%N/AYea
William Murphy (X)Green check.svg Elected17632.0%-5.7%Yea
ErnestDark Red x.svg Lost17531.9%N/A
N/A
St. George's Ward
PositionCandidateVotes %±Vote for Mayor
AldermenJohn Duggan (X)Green check.svg Elected17242.1%-5.5%Nay
G.A. Philpotts(X)Green check.svg Elected12229.8%-5.9%Yea
BrunelDark Red x.svg Lost11528.1%N/A
N/A
CouncilmenGeo. NeetingGreen check.svg Elected12735.4%N/ANay
Edward Wright (X)Green check.svg Elected13136.5%+5%
Absent
James MyersDark Red x.svg Lost10128.1%+4.4%
N/A
St. Patrick's Ward
PositionCandidateVotes %±Vote for Mayor
Aldermen John Beverley Robinson Green check.svg Elected27947.3%Candidate
Johnathan Dunn (X)Green check.svg Elected17129.0%-21.7%Yea
Adam Wilson (X)Dark Red x.svg Lost14023.7%-25.6%
N/A
CouncilmenT. ShortisGreen check.svg Elected23140.4%N/AYea
Theophilus Earls (X)Green check.svg Elected20636.0%-6.9%Yea
ReevesDark Red x.svg Lost13523.6%N/A
N/A

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Toronto</span> Dissolved region in Ontario, Canada

The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was an upper-tier level of municipal government in Ontario, Canada, from 1953 to 1998. It was made up of the old city of Toronto and numerous townships, towns and villages that surrounded Toronto, which were starting to urbanize rapidly after World War II. It was commonly referred to as "Metro Toronto" or "Metro".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto City Council</span> Governing body of Toronto

Toronto City Council is the governing body of the municipal government of Toronto, Ontario. Meeting at Toronto City Hall, it comprises 25 city councillors and the mayor of Toronto. The current term began on November 15, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Shaw (Canadian politician)</span> Canadian politician

John Shaw was Mayor of Toronto from August 6, 1897, to January 1, 1899.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Wilson</span> Canadian lawyer, judge and political figure (1814–1891)

Sir Adam Wilson was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Canada West. He served as mayor of Toronto in 1859 and 1860 and in the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada for York North from 1860 to 1863. After his political career, he served as a judge and was named Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench. At the time of his retirement, he was the longest-serving judge in Ontario and was subsequently knighted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Manning</span> Canadian businessman; 20th Mayor of Toronto (1819–1903)

Alexander Henderson Manning was a Canadian contractor, businessman, and the 20th Mayor of Toronto, serving a single term in 1873 and a second in 1885. Born in Ireland, he emigrated to Toronto in 1834. He worked on the construction of several projects, including the Welland Canal and the Library of Parliament. He was elected as alderman for Toronto City Council, representing St. Lawrence Ward in 1856 and 1857. He was re-elected as an alderman from 1867 to 1873. He was selected by the Toronto City Council to be mayor in 1873, but was not reelected the following year when the mayor was chosen by popular vote. He won the election for mayor of Toronto in 1884, but was again unsuccessful in his reelection bid the following year. In his later life, Manning was an investor in the Grand Opera House, funded the construction of Toronto's Old City Hall, and was a director of several companies. At the time of his death in 1903, it was reported that he was the largest individual taxpayer in Toronto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernest A. Macdonald</span> Canadian politician (1858–1902)

Ernest Albert Macdonald was Mayor of Toronto in 1900.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Hutchison (Canadian politician)</span> Canadian businessman and politician

John Hutchison was a Canadian businessman, politician, and mayor of Toronto in 1857. He was born in Scotland and immigrated to Montreal in 1828. He moved to Toronto in 1847 and opened a merchant business. He was also a director on various Toronto public works projects. He was elected as an alderman to Toronto City Council in 1852, but resigned when the council refused to censure the city's mayor. He was again elected to the council in 1856 and was elected the city's mayor the following year. Hutchison's mayoralty occurred during an economic recession and his term was characterized by withdrawing funding from railway projects. The recession caused his business to become bankrupt and he did not run for a council seat upon the end of his mayoral term. Sources differ on when and where Hutchison died; one source says he died in Toronto a few years after becoming mayor, while an obituary states that he returned to Montreal when his term ended and died in Quebec in 1863.

The Board of Control of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, was a part of its municipal government until it was abolished in 1969. It served as the executive committee of the Toronto City Council. When it was initially created in 1896 by mandate of the provincial government, it consisted of three Controllers appointed from and by the aldermen, and presided over by the Mayor of Toronto. Beginning in 1904, the Board of Control was directly elected by the city's electorate and consisted of four Controllers, presided over by the Mayor. Each voter could vote for up to four candidates, and the four with the most votes were elected. By tradition the controller who received the most votes would get the powerful budget chief position.

Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on December 7, 1953. Incumbent mayor Allan Lamport won an unexpectedly close race against school board chairman Arthur J. Brown. This election was the first for councils in the municipality of Metropolitan Toronto which would be created on January 1, 1954 and was composed of 14 municipalities: the City of Toronto, the towns of New Toronto, Mimico, Weston and Leaside; the villages of Long Branch, Swansea and Forest Hill, and the townships of Etobicoke, York, North York, East York, and Scarborough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wards of the City of London</span> Special form of ward in the City of London

The City of London is divided into 25 wards. The city is the historic core of the much wider metropolis of Greater London, with an ancient and sui generis form of local government, which avoided the many local government reforms elsewhere in the country in the 19th and 20th centuries. Unlike other modern English local authorities, the City of London Corporation has two council bodies: the now largely ceremonial Court of Aldermen, and the Court of Common Council.

Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Canada, on January 2, 1899. Mayor John Shaw was elected for his third consecutive term in office defeating opponent Ernest A. Macdonald and Third Ward Alderman George McMurrich. It was Macdonald's third unsuccessful attempt to be elected mayor, and McMurrich's second. Macdonald would succeed in his fourth attempt, at the 1900 Toronto municipal election.

The 1855 City of Toronto Municipal Election was the City's 21st municipal election. Polling occurred on the first Monday and Tuesday of the year, January 1st and 2nd. Elections for Aldermen and Councilmen were held in seven wards and for the Municipal License Inspector. Violence and intimidation over political control of St. John's Ward by candidates who represented the Orange Order marred the election.

Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Canada, on January 8, 1895. Mayor Warring Kennedy was narrowly elected to a second term in office, narrowly defeating former mayor Robert John Fleming, in a rematch of the previous year's election. Kennedy was re-elected based on support from the Protestant Protective Association and the Orange Order. The main issue in the election was a proposal championed by former alderman Ernest A. Macdonald to build an aqueduct or canal linking the Humber River with Georgian Bay; with opponents of the scheme being returned to council while proponents were defeated.

Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Canada, on January 6, 1896. Former mayor Robert John Fleming was elected, defeating Alderman John Shaw. Fleming was considered a reformer while Shaw was considered the candidates of the Conservative establishment.

Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Canada, on January 4, 1897. Mayor Robert John Fleming was re-elected, defeating Alderman George McMurrich. Fleming's principal campaign pledge was a promise to build a bridge to extend the street railway system to the Toronto Islands, as well as readjusting water rates and reorganizing the boards of education. This was Fleming's fourth mayoral victory, his second in a row. He pledged that this would be his final term in office

Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Canada, on January 3, 1898. Mayor John Shaw was first elected mayor by Toronto City Council after his predecessor, Robert John Fleming, resigned on August 5, 1897, to accept an appointment as assessment commissioner. Shaw was returned to office in the 1898 election by defeating former alderman Ernest A. Macdonald, who was making his second attempt to be elected mayor. The main issues of both the mayoralty and aldermanic campaigns were a proposal to build the James Bay Railway from Toronto to James Bay and proposals to get hydroelectric power from Niagara Falls so that the city could have access to less expensive electricity, with Shaw favouring both proposals, along with almost all aldermen who were elected.

Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on January 5, 1903. In the mayoral election, Alderman Thomas Urquhart defeated incumbent Mayor Oliver Aiken Howland, who was attempting to win a third term in office. Urquhart's platform included operating the telephone and gas systems under city management. Urquhart had the support of the Toronto Trades and Labour Council. Alderman Lamb came in third.

Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on January 1, 1904. Thomas Urquhart was acclaimed to a second term. 1904 was the first time the Toronto Board of Control, the executive committee of Toronto, was directly elected, after the Ontario legislature passed a law requiring municipal boards of control to be chosen through direct election by the municipality's voters. Previously, Toronto City Council chose four alderman to sit on the body, which would be chaired by the mayor.

Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on January 1, 1907. Incumbent Mayor of Toronto Emerson Coatsworth was re-elected to a second one-year term, defeating Socialist Party of Canada candidate James Lindala and Robert Buist Noble, who was also a socialist. Lindala's strong showing and the mayor's reduced vote total was seen as a repudiation of Coatsworth with The Globe newspaper declaring on its front page "that an unknown Socialist tailor of foreign birth should poll over eight thousand votes for the Mayoralty of Toronto against a barrister of irreproachable personal character, who at one time represented his native city in Parliament... proves how utterly repugnant has been the jellyfish administration of the past year." Coatsworth did not run for a third term the following year.

References

  1. Russell, Victor Loring, ed. (1984). Forging a consensus : historical essays on Toronto. Victor Loring Russell, Toronto. Sesquicentennial Board. Toronto: Published for the Toronto Sesquicentennial Board by University of Toronto Press. p. 100. ISBN   978-1-4875-8021-6. OCLC   988215315.
  2. "Mr St. Germain's Address: To the Electors of St. James' Ward". The Globe (1844-1936). December 28, 1855. p. 3.
  3. Goheen, Peter G. (2000). "The Struggle for Urban Public Space: Disposing of the Toronto Waterfront in the Nineteenth Century". In Murphy, Alexander B.; Johnson, Douglas L.; Haarman, Viola (eds.). Cultural Encounters with the Environment : Enduring and Evolving Geographic Themes. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. pp. 60–66. ISBN   0-7425-0105-1.
  4. "The Grand Trunk Railway Entering the City". The Globe (1844-1936). November 21, 1855. p. 1108.
  5. "Special Meeting of City Council: Settlement of the Esplanade Difficulty". The Globe (1844-1936). January 14, 1856. p. 2.
  6. "The Mayoralty". The Globe. January 16, 1856. p. 2.
  7. 1 2 "City Council Proceedings - Election of Mayor". The Globe. January 22, 1856. p. 2.
  8. "The Mayoralty: Infamous Conduct of the Grand Trunk Company". The Globe. January 19, 1856. p. 2.
  9. "The City Election". The Globe (1844-1936). January 7, 1856. p. 2.