Toronto municipal election, 1937

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Municipal elections were held in Toronto , Ontario, Canada, on December 6, 1937. Ralph Day was elected mayor defeating incumbent William D. Robbins.

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.

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.

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.

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Toronto mayor

Ralph Day was elected mayor of Toronto Ralph Day.jpg
Ralph Day was elected mayor of Toronto

William D. Robbins had been appointed to the office of mayor a year and half previously. He was opposed by the much younger Controller Ralph Day. Day won by a significant margin, beating Robbins in all but two wards. Also running were fringe candidates Carlo Lamberti, a music teacher, and veteran Robert Harding.

Results
Ralph Day - 64,736
William D. Robbins - 50,779
Carlo Lamberti - 2,753
Robert Harding - 2,124

Board of Control

There was one opening on the Board of Control after Day chose to run for mayor. The race turned out to be a close contest between Alderman Douglas McNish and prominent communist Tim Buck with McNish winning by a few hundred votes. Further back was Alderman Robert Hood Saunders.

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.

Tim Buck Canadian politician

Timothy "Tim" Buck was a long-time general secretary of the Communist Party of Canada from 1929 until 1962. Together with Ernst Thälmann of Germany, Maurice Thorez of France, Palmiro Togliatti of Italy, Earl Browder of the United States, and Harry Pollitt of Britain, Buck was one of the top leaders of the Joseph Stalin-era Communist International.

Robert Hood Saunders Canadian mayor

Robert Hood Saunders, Q.C., CBE was mayor of Toronto from 1945 to 1948, President of the Canadian National Exhibition, chairman of the Ontario Hydro. He was also a member of the Orange Order in Canada.

Results
Frederick J. Conboy (incumbent) - 60,665
William J. Wadsworth (incumbent) - 53,766
Fred Hamilton (incumbent) - 47,493
Douglas McNish - 44,402
Tim Buck - 44,248
Robert Hood Saunders - 41,817
Robert Allen - 15,283
Harry Bradley - 4,623

City council

Ward 1 (Riverdale)
Frank M. Johnston (incumbent) - 6,717
Gordon Millen - 6,520
Robert Siberry - 6,272
Ernest Hewitt - 1,849
I.W. Malcolm - 1,500
John Francis Hughes - 1,035
Ward 2 (Cabbagetown and Rosedale)
Adelaide Plumptre (incumbent) - 3,894
Louis Shannon - 3,715
Joe Thompson - 2,198
George Harris - 1,735
George Kingston - 1,146
Alfred Gagne - 699
J.A.C. Cameron - 684
Bob King - 458
Norman Brown - 252
Frank Ward - 202
Ward 3 (Central Business District)
John S. Simmons (incumbent) - 3,786
Percy Quinn (incumbent) - 3,039
Jean Laing - 1,429
Lloyd Jaeger - 513
Ward 4 (Kensington Market and Garment District)
Nathan Phillips (incumbent) - 5,002
J.B. Salsberg - 4,725
David A. Balfour - 3,172
Hyman Langer - 1,967
Joseph Stewart - 1,211
Ward 5 (Trinity-Bellwoods
Stewart Smith (incumbent) - 8,025
Ernest Bogart (incumbent) - 7,572
C.M. Carrie - 6,736
Jacob Romer - 1,493
Frederick Cottrell - 615
Ward 6 (Davenport and Parkdale)
D.C. MacGregor (incumbent) - 8,596
George Grannell (incumbent) - 6,339
William V. Muir - 6,253
Neil Cameron - 5,271
Pat McKeown - 1,649
Alan Dignan - 1,514
William Haysey - 1,417
Chester Sherlock - 1,184
William Logie - 717
Bertram Tipping - 656
Ward 7 (West Toronto Junction)
George H. Gardiner (incumbent) - 4,885
Charles Rowntree - 8,901
Frank Whetter (incumbent) - 3,432
Minerva Reid - 3,318
Ward 8 (The Beaches)
Walter Howell (incumbent) - 8,316
Ernest Bray (incumbent) - 7,388
Edmund Guest - 6,627
Ernest Woollon - 4,266
Gifford Baker - 1,168
Ward 9 (North Toronto)
William Croft (incumbent) - 7,699
William D. Ellis (incumbent) - 7,453
John Innes - 7,183

Results taken from the December 7, 1937 Toronto Star and might not exactly match final tallies.

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