Toronto municipal election, 1939

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Municipal elections were held in Toronto , Ontario, Canada, on January 2, 1939. Incumbent Ralph Day was re-elected mayor over former lawyer Lewis Duncan.

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.

Lewis Duncan Canadian politician, Lawyer, Military officer, veteran of WWI.

James Lewis Duncan was a Canadian politician and lawyer.

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Toronto mayor

Day was expected to be acclaimed, but in December lawyer and Liberal Lewis Duncan entered the race. Day but won by a significant margin in a high turnout race.

Results
Ralph Day - 93,060
Lewis Duncan - 53,364

Board of Control

All four Board of Control incumbents were reelected despite a group of high-profile challengers. Closest to winning a seat was Alderman William Croft in fifth place. In sixth place was communist Tim Buck and in seventh Alderman Robert Hood Saunders. Finishing surprisingly far back in seventh was former mayor William D. Robbins.

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.

Neither were successful as all four incumbents were reelected.

Results
Frederick J. Conboy (incumbent) - 80,720
Douglas McNish (incumbent) - 73,252
Fred Hamilton (incumbent) - 54,516
William J. Wadsworth (incumbent) - 49,446
William Croft - 48,798
Tim Buck - 43,112
Robert Hood Saunders - 40,973
William D. Robbins - 24,745
Harry Bradley - 3,489

City council

Ward 1 (Riverdale)
Gordon Millen (incumbent) - 9,583
Frank M. Johnston (incumbent) - 8,464
Charles Minett - 4,374
Fred Kantel - 3,063
John Francis Hughes - 1,414
Samuel Kirk - 735
Ward 2 (Cabbagetown and Rosedale)
Adelaide Plumptre (incumbent) - 6,563
Louis Shannon (incumbent) - 5,829
George A. Wilson - 4,184
D.J. Shannon - 1,434
Matthew C. Wilson - 615
Bob King - 541
Alfred Gagne - 536
Aaron Newton - 367
Ward 3 (Central Business District)
John S. Simmons (incumbent) - 5,325
Percy Quinn (incumbent) - 5,202
Jean Laing - 1,604
Ward 4 (The Annex, Kensington Market and Garment District)
Nathan Phillips (incumbent) - 7,230
David A. Balfour - 6,339
J.B. Salsberg (incumbent) - 5,830
Joseph Stewart - 1,216
Ward 5 (Trinity-Bellwoods
Ernest Bogart (incumbent) - 10,506
Stewart Smith (incumbent) - 8,121
Charles Ward - 6,519
Pat V. Roach - 2,943
Jacob Romer - 1,384
Frederick Cottrell - 697
Ward 6 (Davenport and Parkdale)
William V. Muir - 11,163
D.C. MacGregor (incumbent) - 10,319
George Grannell (incumbent) - 8,922
Neil Cameron - 7,878
Richard Jones - 1,384
William Logie - 1,166
Joseph King - 544
Ward 7 (West Toronto Junction)
Charles Rowntree (incumbent) - 8,901
H.M. Davy - 7,140
Harold Clarke - 1,858
John Whetton - 1,548
Ward 8 (The Beaches)
Ernest Bray (incumbent) - 13,175
Walter Howell (incumbent) - 10,094
Ernest Woollon - 7,104
Gifford Baker - 2,309
Ward 9 (North Toronto)
Donald Fleming - 11,340
John Innes - 10,134
William D. Ellis (incumbent) - 7,982
Basil Donnelly - 3,195

Results taken from the January 3, 1939 Globe and Mail and might not exactly match final tallies.

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