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All 28 members of Toronto City Council Mayor appointed by majority of City Council | |||||||
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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.
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.
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]
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]
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]
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 | ||||||
Position | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Vote for Mayor | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aldermen | John Harrington | Elected | 427 | 40.9% | N/A | Yea |
John Hutchison | Elected | 346 | 33.1% | N/A | Nay | |
Hewitt | Lost | 272 | 26.0% | N/A | N/A | |
Councilmen | John Wilson(X) | Elected | 317 | 32.4% | +2.3% | Yea |
John Cameron | Elected | 244 | 25.0% | N/A | Nay | |
Thompson | Lost | 174 | 17.8% | N/A | N/A | |
Mitchell | Lost | 158 | 16.2% | N/A | N/A | |
A.H. St. Germain | Lost | 84 | 8.6% | N/A | N/A | |
St. Andrew's Ward | ||||||
Position | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Vote for Mayor | |
Aldermen | John Worthington | Elected | 279 | 41.9% | N/A | Yea |
R.P. Crooks (X) | Elected | 205 | 30.8% | -4.9% | Nay | |
Ritchey | Lost | 182 | 27.3% | N/A | N/A | |
Councilmen | Henry Prettie (X) | Elected | 276 | 42.9% | +15.2% | Yea |
Henry Sproat | Elected | 229 | 35.6% | N/A | Yea | |
Charles Fisher | Lost | 138 | 21.5% | +3.7% | N/A | |
St. John's Ward | ||||||
Position | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Vote for Mayor | |
Aldermen | John Bugg (X) | Elected | 347 | 52.1% | +16.3% | Nay |
Richard Dempsey | Elected | 319 | 47.9% | +15.8% | Yea | |
Councilmen | Robert Moodie | Elected | 336 | 46.8% | +12.6% | Absent |
Joseph Rowell (X) | Elected | 241 | 33.6% | +3.6% | Nay | |
Carnegie | Lost | 141 | 19.6% | N/A | N/A | |
St. David's Ward | ||||||
Position | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Vote for Mayor | |
Aldermen | William Henderson (X) | Elected | 340 | 37.0% | -3.2% | Nay |
John George Bowes | Elected | 318 | 34.6% | N/A | Yea | |
Brooke | Lost | 261 | 28.4% | N/A | N/A | |
Councilmen | Adam Beatty (X) | Elected | 328 | 32.8% | -10.1% | Yea |
John Carruthers (X) | Elected | 235 | 23.5% | -13.8% | Nay | |
James Mallon | Lost | 221 | 22.1% | N/A | N/A | |
William Ramsey | Lost | 215 | 21.5% | N/A | N/A | |
St. Lawrence Ward | ||||||
Position | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Vote for Mayor | |
Aldermen | Alexander Manning | Elected | 204 | 39.1% | +12.0% | Nay |
William Strachan | Elected | 180 | 34.5% | N/A | Nay | |
D.K. Feehan | Lost | 138 | 26.4% | N/A | N/A | |
Councilmen | William Davis | Elected | 199 | 36.2% | N/A | Yea |
William Murphy (X) | Elected | 176 | 32.0% | -5.7% | Yea | |
Ernest | Lost | 175 | 31.9% | N/A | N/A | |
St. George's Ward | ||||||
Position | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Vote for Mayor | |
Aldermen | John Duggan (X) | Elected | 172 | 42.1% | -5.5% | Nay |
G.A. Philpotts(X) | Elected | 122 | 29.8% | -5.9% | Yea | |
Brunel | Lost | 115 | 28.1% | N/A | N/A | |
Councilmen | Geo. Neeting | Elected | 127 | 35.4% | N/A | Nay |
Edward Wright (X) | Elected | 131 | 36.5% | +5% | Absent | |
James Myers | Lost | 101 | 28.1% | +4.4% | N/A | |
St. Patrick's Ward | ||||||
Position | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | Vote for Mayor | |
Aldermen | John Beverley Robinson | Elected | 279 | 47.3% | Candidate | |
Johnathan Dunn (X) | Elected | 171 | 29.0% | -21.7% | Yea | |
Adam Wilson (X) | Lost | 140 | 23.7% | -25.6% | N/A | |
Councilmen | T. Shortis | Elected | 231 | 40.4% | N/A | Yea |
Theophilus Earls (X) | Elected | 206 | 36.0% | -6.9% | Yea | |
Reeves | Lost | 135 | 23.6% | N/A | N/A | |
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".
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.
John Shaw was Mayor of Toronto from August 6, 1897, to January 1, 1899.
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.
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.
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