Toronto municipal election, 1935

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Municipal elections were held in Toronto , Ontario, Canada, on January 1, 1935. James Simpson won a surprise victory in the mayoral campaign to become the first socialist candidate elected to the office.

Toronto Provincial capital city in Ontario, Canada

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the most populous city in Canada, with a population of 2,731,571 in 2016. Current to 2016, the Toronto census metropolitan area (CMA), of which the majority is within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), held a population of 5,928,040, making it Canada's most populous CMA. Toronto is the anchor of an urban agglomeration, known as the Golden Horseshoe in Southern Ontario, located on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A global city, Toronto is a centre of business, finance, arts, and culture, and is recognized as one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world.

James Simpson (politician) Canadian politician

James "Jimmie" Simpson was a Canadian trade unionist, printer, journalist and left-wing politician in Toronto, Ontario. He was a longtime member of Toronto's city council and served as Mayor of Toronto in 1935, the first member of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation to serve in that capacity. He was also a member of the Orange Order in Canada.

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Toronto mayor

Incumbent William James Stewart chose not to run for reelection. The race to succeed him became focused on two candidates. James Simpson, known as "People's Jimmy" was a long serving member of the Board of Control and former vice-president of the Trades and Labour Congress of Canada. He was an active member of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and a self-described socialist. Simpson was strongly opposed by many religious leaders, former mayor Stewart, and three of the four daily newspapers. Only the Toronto Daily Star endorsed his run. The other three papers endorsed Alderman Harry W. Hunt who finished a close second. Also running were controller J. George Ramsden and communist Reverend A.E. Smith, but they finished considerably back.

William James Stewart was a Canadian politician. He was also a member of the Orange Order in Canada. Stewart also owned and operated the Bates and Dodds Funeral Home on Queen Street West in Toronto.

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, consisting of four "controllers" elected citywide and presided over by the Mayor. Beginning in 1904, the Board of Control was directly elected by the city's electorate. 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.

Results
James Simpson - 54,400
Harry W. Hunt - 50,986
J. George Ramsden - 16,851
A.E. Smith - 4,760

Board of Control

Incumbent Sam McBride and William D. Robbins won reelection to the Board of Control. As Simpson and Ramsden chose to run for mayor, this left two vacancies on the board. These were filled by Alderman Ralph Day and former alderman William J. Wadsworth. Finishing further back were two ex-controllers, Claude Pierce and A.E. Hacker. Also running were social activist Adelaide Plumptre and Communist leader Tim Buck. Alderman George Duthie was also a candidate but withdrew

Sam McBride Canadian politician

Sam (Samuel) McBride was a two-time Mayor of Toronto serving his first term from 1928 to 1929 and his second term in 1936 which ended prematurely due to his death. He was also a member of the Orange Order in Canada.

William D. Robbins Canadian mayor

William Dullam Robbins was the 45th Mayor of Toronto from 1936 to 1937. He was appointed mayor after the death of incumbent Sam McBride and remained in office until defeated by Ralph Day in the 1937 elections. Robbins was considered a representative of labour in Toronto city politics, but was also a member of the Conservative Party. He served 18 years on city council and the Board of Control before becoming mayor. He was also a member of the Orange Order in Canada. He died after years of ill health at his Toronto home in 1952.

Ralph Day Canadian politician

Ralph Carrette Day was mayor of Toronto, Ontario from 1938 to 1940. He was also an accomplished funeral director, owning his own funeral home. He also served as chairman of the Toronto Transit Commission in the 1960s and 1970s. He was also a member of the Orange Order in Canada.

Results
Sam McBride (incumbent) - 71,177
William J. Wadsworth - 58,783
William D. Robbins (incumbent) - 44,820
Ralph Day - 41,515
Claude Pearce - 34,064
Adelaide Plumptre - 32,872
A.E Hacker - 29,110
Frank Regan - 26,242
Tim Buck - 9,938

City council

Ward boundaries used in the 1935 election Toronto ward map 1964.PNG
Ward boundaries used in the 1935 election
Ward 1 (Riverdale)
Frank M. Johnston (incumbent) - 7,412
W.A. Summerville - 5,171
Gordon Millen - 4,682
Zeph Hilton - 3,736
Clifford Lock - 1,686
David Spencer - 881
Thomas Cooney - 858
Ward 2 (Cabbagetown and Rosedale)
Harry Gladstone Clarke (incumbent) - 6,082
John R. Beamish (incumbent) - 4,738
William Dennison - 2,659
Percy Bishop - 2348
Thomas James - 465
Ward 3 (Central Business District)
John Laidlaw (incumbent) - 2,990
John S. Simmons - 2,334
Arnold Ferguson - 1,980
Albert Kinnear - 1,696
Fred Ross - 925
Alfred Burgess - 490
C.A. Risk - 457
Abraham Golberg - 294
Joseph Kent - 290
Ward 4 (Kensington Market and Garment District)
Robert Hood Saunders - 4,779
Nathan Phillips (incumbent) - 4,691
H.M. Goodman - 2,293
Ida Siegel - 2,130
Myer Klig - 1,068
Max Federman - 552
Max Orenstein - 534
S.C. Schiller - 419
Ward 5 (Trinity-Bellwoods)
Fred Hamilton (incumbent) - 6,483
Robert Leslie - 5,931
Harold Menzies - 3,091
Thomas Black - 2,907
Stewart Smith - 1,871
James Conner - 1,576
Charles Kerr - 1,045
Albert Plenty - 499
Ward 6 (Davenport and Parkdale)
Frederick J. Conboy - 12,961
D.C. MacGregor (incumbent) - 9,015
Harold Tracy - 6,530
Robert Stanley - 3,714
Harry Stephenson - 1,575
George Granell - 600
Bertram Tipping - 475
Ward 7 (West Toronto Junction)
George H. Gardiner (incumbent) - 7,217
Frank Whetter (incumbent) - 5,698
Harry Wynn - 3,267
John McPhee - 1,594
Ward 8 (East Toronto)
Ernest Bray (incumbent) - 9,603
Walter Howell - 8,537
Albert Burnese - 4,548
Robert Baker - 4,399
David MacKay - 878
David Weir - 763
Alfred Hambleton - 445
Ward 9 (North Toronto)
William D. Ellis (incumbent) - 8,224
Douglas McNish - 5,435
Herbert Ball - 4,456
John Innes - 3,546
Charles Reeves - 1,646
Walter Wilkinson - 1,689
John McGonnell - 453

Results taken from the January 2, 1935 Toronto Star and might not exactly match final tallies. Ward 3 and 6 results taken from the January 2, 1935 Toronto Telegram.

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