Toronto municipal election, December 1936
Encyclopedia
Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Canada, on December 7, 1936, after being moved up from the traditional New Year's day vote. William D. Robbins
was easily elected mayor to his first full term in office.
William D. Robbins
had been appointed to the office of mayor earlier in the year after the death of incumbent Sam McBride. Challenging Robbins for the post was Alderman John Laidlaw and veteran Robert Harding. Robbins was easily reelected, winning a majority of the vote in every ward. One of his main campaign pledges was the construction of an airport for the city of Toronto. This was realized in 1939 with the creation of the Toronto Island Airport.
Results
to retire left to vacancies on the Board of Control
. The two incumbents were reelected, and three aldermen and Communist
leader Tim Buck
competed for the two open seats. Frederick J. Conboy
and Fred Hamilton were elected.
Results
managed to elect Stewart Smith
to City Council from Ward 5. In future elections he would be joined by other Communists such as J.B. Salsberg in forming a far left faction on city council. The Communist Party, and its successor the Labour-Progressive Party
would continue to elect members to council until the late 1940s.
Ward 1 (Riverdale
)
Ward 2 (Cabbagetown
and Rosedale
)
Ward 3 (Central Business District
)
Ward 4 (Kensington Market
and Garment District)
Ward 5 (Trinity-Bellwoods
Ward 6 (Davenport and Parkdale
)
Ward 7 (West Toronto Junction)
Ward 8 (The Beaches
)
Ward 9 (North Toronto
)
Results taken from the December 8, 1936 Toronto Star and might not exactly match final tallies.
William D. Robbins
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...
was easily elected mayor to his first full term in office.
Toronto mayor
William D. Robbins
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...
had been appointed to the office of mayor earlier in the year after the death of incumbent Sam McBride. Challenging Robbins for the post was Alderman John Laidlaw and veteran Robert Harding. Robbins was easily reelected, winning a majority of the vote in every ward. One of his main campaign pledges was the construction of an airport for the city of Toronto. This was realized in 1939 with the creation of the Toronto Island Airport.
Results
- William D. RobbinsWilliam D. RobbinsWilliam 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...
- 74,844 - John Laidlaw - 22,018
- Robert Harding - 4,045
Board of Control
The promotion of Robbins to the mayoralty and the decision of Controller J. George RamsdenJ. George Ramsden
Joseph George Ramsden was a long active municipal politician in Toronto, Canada. He was born in Thornhill and first became active in politics working for Alexander Mackenzie in a York East by-election. He served for fifteen years as Chief Inspector for the Department of Indian Affairs, which saw...
to retire left to vacancies on the Board of Control
Toronto Board of Control
Toronto Board of Control was a part of the municipal government of Toronto, Canada from 1904 until its abolition in 1969 and served as the executive committee of Toronto City Council. It consisted of four councillors elected city wide and was presided over by the mayor. Each voter could vote for up...
. The two incumbents were reelected, and three aldermen and Communist
Communist Party of Canada
The Communist Party of Canada is a communist political party in Canada. Although is it currently a minor or small political party without representation in the Federal Parliament or in provincial legislatures, historically the Party has elected representatives in Federal Parliament, Ontario...
leader Tim Buck
Tim Buck
Timothy "Tim" Buck was a long-time leader of the Communist Party of Canada...
competed for the two open seats. Frederick J. Conboy
Frederick J. Conboy
Frederick Joseph Conboy was a Canadian politician, who served as mayor of Toronto, Ontario from 1941 to 1944....
and Fred Hamilton were elected.
Results
- Ralph DayRalph DayRalph C. 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....
(incumbent) - 56,847 - Frederick J. ConboyFrederick J. ConboyFrederick Joseph Conboy was a Canadian politician, who served as mayor of Toronto, Ontario from 1941 to 1944....
- 48,976 - William J. WadsworthWilliam J. WadsworthWilliam J. Wadsworth was a long serving municipal politician in Toronto, Canada.He was born in Flesherton, Ontario and migrated to Toronto his family moved to the West Toronto Junction while he was still a youth...
(incumbent) - 48,047 - Fred Hamilton - 39,003
- Douglas McNish - 32,265
- Tim BuckTim BuckTimothy "Tim" Buck was a long-time leader of the Communist Party of Canada...
- 31,342 - Alfred Burgess - 3,983
- Harry Bradley - 3,295
City council
The Communist Party of CanadaCommunist Party of Canada
The Communist Party of Canada is a communist political party in Canada. Although is it currently a minor or small political party without representation in the Federal Parliament or in provincial legislatures, historically the Party has elected representatives in Federal Parliament, Ontario...
managed to elect Stewart Smith
Stewart Smith (politician)
Stewart Smith was a long-time leading member of the Communist Party of Canada. He also served on Toronto City Council for a period in the 1930s and 1940s....
to City Council from Ward 5. In future elections he would be joined by other Communists such as J.B. Salsberg in forming a far left faction on city council. The Communist Party, and its successor the Labour-Progressive Party
Labour-Progressive Party
For the Labour-Progressive Coalition Government in New Zealand see the Fifth Labour Government of New ZealandThe Labor-Progressive Party was the legal political organization of the Communist Party of Canada between 1943 and 1959....
would continue to elect members to council until the late 1940s.
Ward 1 (Riverdale
Riverdale, Toronto
Riverdale is a large neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is bounded by the Don River Valley to the west, Danforth Avenue and Greektown to the north, Jones Avenue, the CN/GO tracks, and Leslieville to the east, and Lake Shore Boulevard to the south....
)
- W.A. Summerville (incumbent) - 6,794
- Frank M. Johnston (incumbent) - 6,717
- Graham SpryGraham Spry- Further reading :*Babe, Robert. "Graham Spry" in Canadian Communications Thought: Ten Foundational Writers. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-7949-0.*McChesney, Robert W. , Canadian Journal of Communication 24....
- 3,440 - Ernest Hewett - 2,727
- Harry Bell - 1,161
Ward 2 (Cabbagetown
Cabbagetown, Toronto
Cabbagetown is a neighbourhood located on the east side of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It comprises "the largest continuous area of preserved Victorian housing in all of North America", according to the Cabbagetown Preservation Association....
and Rosedale
Rosedale, Toronto
Rosedale is an affluent neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which was formerly the estate of William Botsford Jarvis, and so named by his wife, granddaughter of William Dummer Powell, for the wild roses that grew there in abundance....
)
- Allan Lamport - 3,982
- Adelaide PlumptreAdelaide PlumptreAdelaide Wilson Plumptre was a Canadian activist, diplomat, and municipal politician in Toronto.She was born Adelaide Proctor in Surrey, England and studied at Somerville College, Oxford University. There she met and married H.P. Plumtree, the vice-principal of the theological college...
(incumbent) - 3,445 - John R. Beamish (incumbent) - 3,194
- William Dennison - 1,479
- Winston George Harris - 808
- Bob King - 320
- William McFerran - 221
Ward 3 (Central Business District
Downtown Toronto
Downtown Toronto is the central business district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately bounded by Bloor Street to the north, Lake Ontario to the south, the Don River to the east, and Bathurst Street to the west...
)
- John S. Simmons (incumbent) - 2,785
- Percy QuinnPercy QuinnJohn Purcell Quinn was a Canadian athlete, businessman, sports promoter and politician in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was the owner and president of the Toronto Blueshirts, winners of the Stanley Cup in 1914. He was a member of the world champion Montreal Shamrocks lacrosse team in 1896...
- 1,784 - Fred Bartrem - 1,419
- Neil MacMillan - 961
- Jean Laing - 692
Ward 4 (Kensington Market
Kensington Market
Kensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Market is an older neighbourhood and one of the city's most well-known. In November 2006, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canada. Robert Fulford wrote in 1999 that "Kensington...
and Garment District)
- Nathan PhillipsNathan Phillips (politician)Nathan Phillips, KC was a Canadian politician and popular Mayor of Toronto, Ontario.-Early life:Born in Brockville, Ontario, the son of Jacob Phillips and Mary Rosenbloom, he was educated in public and high schools in Cornwall. In 1908, he articled with the Cornwall lawyer, Robert Smith, who later...
(incumbent) - 4,127 - Robert Hood SaundersRobert Hood SaundersRobert Hood Saunders, Q.C., CBE was mayor of Toronto from 1945 to 1948, President of the Canadian National Exhibition, chairman of the Ontario Hydro ....
(incumbent) - 3,884 - J.B. Salsberg - 3,633
- Herbert OrliffeHerbert OrliffeHerbert Orliffe was a municipal politician in Toronto, Canada. He immigrated with his family form Newcastle, England at age 8 and settled in Toronto. His father operated a grocery store on Harbord Street...
- 813 - Albert Leslie - 673
Ward 5 (Trinity-Bellwoods
- Stewart SmithStewart Smith (politician)Stewart Smith was a long-time leading member of the Communist Party of Canada. He also served on Toronto City Council for a period in the 1930s and 1940s....
- 3,500 - Ernest Bogart - 3,076
- Albert Hacker - 3,041
- Ward Markle - 2,862
- Clifford McBride - 2,713
- Harold Menzies - 2,618
- Charles Ward - 1,773
- Harold Kerr - 896
- James Conner - 795
- Alfons Stanewski - 616
- Thomas Guy - 439
- Valentine Burda - 273
- Basil Ingelby - 165
Ward 6 (Davenport and Parkdale
Parkdale, Toronto
Parkdale is a neighbourhood and former village in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, west of downtown. The neighbourhood is bounded on the west by Roncesvalles Avenue, on the north by Queen Street. It is bounded on the east by Dufferin Street from Queen Street south, and on the south by Lake Ontario...
)
- D.C. MacGregor (incumbent) - 6,786
- George Grannell - 5,044
- William V. Muir - 4,182
- William Miller - 3,439
- John Reid - 2,658
- Neil Cameron - 2,129
- Harry Stephenson - 1,518
- Jones - 1,031
- Bertram Tipping - 746
- William Logie - 742
- Grace Farrow - 370
Ward 7 (West Toronto Junction)
- George H. Gardiner (incumbent) - 5,125
- Frank Whetter (incumbent) - 3,603
- Charles Rowntree - 3,206
- McMurray - 895
- Thompson - 533
- Shaw - 296
Ward 8 (The Beaches
The Beaches
The Beaches is a neighbourhood and popular tourist destination located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the east side of the "Old" City of Toronto. The original boundaries of the neighbourhood are from Fallingbrook Avenue on the east to Kingston Road on the north, to Woodbine Avenue...
)
- Walter Howell (incumbent) - 8,116
- Ernest Bray (incumbent) - 8,001
- Ernest Woollon - 4,725
- Frederick Collins - 1,390
- David Weir - 615
Ward 9 (North Toronto
North Toronto
North Toronto was a town located in the northern part of the Old Toronto district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It occupies a geographically central location within the current boundaries of the city of Toronto. It is a relatively narrow strip, centred around Yonge Street; it extends from the CP...
)
- William D. Ellis (incumbent) - 6,580
- William Croft - 5,338
- John InnesJohn Innes (politician)John Innes was a municipal politician in Toronto, Canada. He was born in Scotland and immigrated to Canada in around 1900 when he was in his twenties. A carpenter by trade he built a home in on Merton Street in North Toronto. He then became a developer, building several other homes around the area...
- 5,282
Results taken from the December 8, 1936 Toronto Star and might not exactly match final tallies.