Edmonton municipal election, 1907
Encyclopedia
The 1907 municipal election was held December 9, 1907 for the purpose of electing a mayor and five aldermen to sit on the Edmonton City Council
, as well as five public school trustees and six separate school trustees. There were also four proposed bylaws put to a vote of the electorate concurrently with the election.
and Wilfrid Gariépy
had been elected to two year terms in 1906
, and were still in office. James Walker
had also been elected to a two year term, but resigned, and had been replaced by Daniel Fraser, who was also still in office.
Thomas Daly
had been elected to a two year term in 1906, but resigned and hadn't been replaced. Accordingly, the fifth place aldermanic candidate in the 1907 election - Herman McInnis - was elected only to serve out the remaining year of Daly's term.
and incumbent councillor Joseph Henri Picard
. McDougall was nominated by William Short
, Arthur Cushing
, J C Dowsett, W R West, A E Jackson, and J W Huff. Picard was nominated by William Antrobus Griesbach
, Thomas Bellamy
, George Manuel, William Thomas Henry
, W J Graves, T P Hobson, and G K Allen.
. The letter accused McDougall of demanding an unfairly inflated price for land the city intended to buy from him, and of making pledges to reduce municipal taxes without being sufficiently familiar with the city's financial situation. The letter's writer was eventually exposed as being incumbent mayor William Antrobus Griesbach
, who was not seeking re-election but who was supporting McDougall's opponent, Picard.
, John Galbraith, William Clegg, and Isaac Lane for election as aldermen. All four men had signed on to the association's platform, which included
noted on the day of the election that "both Mssrs. McDougall and Picard have excellent organizations, and almost every available vote is being brought in." It further asserted that the city's two polling stations were inadequate, and that the new council should create additional polling stations.
, E J Hart, Prosper-Edmond Lessard
, Joseph Henri Picard
, S Schultz, and O Tessier were elected. Detailed results are no longer available.
Edmonton City Council
The Edmonton City Council is the governing body of the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.Members represent wards throughout the city, and are known as councillors. Until 2010, Edmonton was divided in six wards with two councillors representing citizens in each ward...
, as well as five public school trustees and six separate school trustees. There were also four proposed bylaws put to a vote of the electorate concurrently with the election.
Positions to be elected
There were eight aldermen on city council, but three of the positions were already filled: Cameron AndersonCameron Anderson
Cameron Anderson was a politician in Alberta, Canada and a municipal councillor in Edmonton.-Biography:Anderson came to Edmonton prior to 1901 from North Dakota. Anderson was a long-time Edmonton resident and a building contractor...
and Wilfrid Gariépy
Wilfrid Gariépy
Wilfrid Gariepy was a Canadian politician, member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and provincial cabinet minister, member of the Canadian House of Commons, and municipal councillor in Edmonton.-Early life:...
had been elected to two year terms in 1906
Edmonton municipal election, 1906
The 1906 municipal election was held December 10, 1906 for the purpose of electing a mayor and four aldermen to sit on the Edmonton City Council, as well as five public school trustees and six separate school trustees...
, and were still in office. James Walker
James Walker (Alberta politician)
James Burns Walker was a politician in Alberta, Canada and a municipal councillor in Edmonton.-Biography:Walker was born March 23, 1874 in Alberton, Ontario. He worked in the insurance and finance businesses in Hamilton before relocating to Montreal, where he spent seven years as a wholesaler...
had also been elected to a two year term, but resigned, and had been replaced by Daniel Fraser, who was also still in office.
Thomas Daly
Thomas Daly (Alberta politician)
Thomas Daly was a politician in Alberta, Canada and a municipal councillor in Edmonton-Biography:Daly was born in Letterbreen, Ireland and immigrated to Canada in 1881. He spent two years in Manitoba and moved to Alberta in 1883 to homestead at Clover Bar...
had been elected to a two year term in 1906, but resigned and hadn't been replaced. Accordingly, the fifth place aldermanic candidate in the 1907 election - Herman McInnis - was elected only to serve out the remaining year of Daly's term.
Mayoral nominations
The candidates for mayor were former mayor John Alexander McDougallJohn Alexander McDougall
John Alexander McDougall was a politician in Alberta, Canada, a municipal councillor and mayor in Edmonton, and a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.-Early life:...
and incumbent councillor Joseph Henri Picard
Joseph Henri Picard
Joseph Henri Picard was a politician in Alberta, Canada and a municipal councillor in Edmonton.-Biography:...
. McDougall was nominated by William Short
William Short (Alberta politician)
William Short was a politician in Alberta, Canada and a two time mayor of Edmonton.-Biography:Short was born July 11, 1866 near Elora, Ontario and studied law at the University of Toronto before coming to Alberta in 1889. He articled to James Alexander Lougheed from 1891 until 1894, when he was...
, Arthur Cushing
Arthur Cushing
Arthur Thompson Cushing was a politician in Alberta, Canada and a municipal councillor in Edmonton. His brother, William Henry Cushing, was a mayor of Calgary, while another brother, Alfred Cushing, served as alderman in that city.-Biography:Cushing was born in Kenilworth, Ontario February 10, 1869...
, J C Dowsett, W R West, A E Jackson, and J W Huff. Picard was nominated by William Antrobus Griesbach
William Antrobus Griesbach
Major General William Antrobus Griesbach CB CMG DSO was a Canadian politician, decorated soldier, mayor of Edmonton, and member of the Canadian House of Commons and Senate of Canada.-Early life:...
, Thomas Bellamy
Thomas Bellamy
Thomas Bellamy was a politician in Alberta, Canada and a municipal councillor in Edmonton.-Biography:Bellamy was born in Durham County, Ontario in 1853. He moved to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba in 1881 after marrying Lora Davis in 1875...
, George Manuel, William Thomas Henry
William Thomas Henry
William Thomas Henry was a politician, real estate agent and businessman in Alberta, Canada. He served numerous years on Edmonton City Council as an Alderman from 1900 to 1902 and later as mayor from 1914 to 1917...
, W J Graves, T P Hobson, and G K Allen.
Campaign
The election showed some signs of nastiness, as an anonymous letter (signed by a Mr. "Graybrook") attacking mayoral candidate McDougall was published in the Edmonton JournalEdmonton Journal
The Edmonton Journal is a daily newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta. It is part of the Postmedia Network.-History:The Journal was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunningham — as a rival to Alberta's first newspaper, the 23-year-old...
. The letter accused McDougall of demanding an unfairly inflated price for land the city intended to buy from him, and of making pledges to reduce municipal taxes without being sufficiently familiar with the city's financial situation. The letter's writer was eventually exposed as being incumbent mayor William Antrobus Griesbach
William Antrobus Griesbach
Major General William Antrobus Griesbach CB CMG DSO was a Canadian politician, decorated soldier, mayor of Edmonton, and member of the Canadian House of Commons and Senate of Canada.-Early life:...
, who was not seeking re-election but who was supporting McDougall's opponent, Picard.
Endorsements
The East End Ratepayers' Association endorsed George S. ArmstrongGeorge S. Armstrong
George Seale Armstrong was a politician in Alberta, Canada and a mayor of Edmonton.-Biography:Armstrong was born in Hopeville, Grey County, Ontario. He came to Edmonton in 1905 or 1906, and ran for Edmonton City Council as an alderman in the 1907 election. He finished second of twelve...
, John Galbraith, William Clegg, and Isaac Lane for election as aldermen. All four men had signed on to the association's platform, which included
- allowing non-property owners to vote in elections, although not on money bylaws;
- stricter supervision of the city's sanitary standards;
- more widely-distributed and more easily understood city financial statements;
- allowing a majority of a district's residents to petition for improvements to the district, preventing non-residents from having a veto over such improvements;
- the insertion of a fair wage clause into all city contracts;
- opposition to inflation of assessment of property values; and
- public ownership of all utilities, except as otherwise decided by a popular vote.
Voter turnout
There were 1679 ballots cast in the 1907 municipal election. The number of eligible voters is no longer available, but the Edmonton BulletinEdmonton Bulletin
The Edmonton Bulletin was a newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta published from 1880 until January 20, 1951. It was founded by Frank Oliver, a politician and future minister in the Canadian Government....
noted on the day of the election that "both Mssrs. McDougall and Picard have excellent organizations, and almost every available vote is being brought in." It further asserted that the city's two polling stations were inadequate, and that the new council should create additional polling stations.
Aldermen
- Robert MansonRobert MansonRobert John Manson was a politician in Alberta, Canada and a municipal councillor in Edmonton.-Biography:Manson came to Edmonton from Renfrew County, Ontario in 1891. He fast became one of the city's leading contractors, and was responsible for the creation of buildings including the Alberta...
- 783 - George S. ArmstrongGeorge S. ArmstrongGeorge Seale Armstrong was a politician in Alberta, Canada and a mayor of Edmonton.-Biography:Armstrong was born in Hopeville, Grey County, Ontario. He came to Edmonton in 1905 or 1906, and ran for Edmonton City Council as an alderman in the 1907 election. He finished second of twelve...
- 774 - Thomas BellamyThomas BellamyThomas Bellamy was a politician in Alberta, Canada and a municipal councillor in Edmonton.-Biography:Bellamy was born in Durham County, Ontario in 1853. He moved to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba in 1881 after marrying Lora Davis in 1875...
- 736 - Robert LeeRobert Lee (Canadian politician)Robert Lee was a politician in Alberta, Canada and a mayor of Edmonton.-Biography:Lee was born in Lanark County, Ontario on March 10, 1862 and graduated from the Dominion Business College in Kingston. He married Annette Wilson, with whom he would have a daughter and two sons, in 1897...
- 696 - Herman McInnesHerman McInnesHerman Lewis McInnes was a politician in Alberta, Canada and a municipal councillor in Edmonton.-Biography:...
- 674 - E B Edwards - 565
- William Clegg - 425
- John Galbraith - 399
- John Calhoun - 378
- Isaac Lane - 372
- Cornelius GallagherCornelius Gallagher (Canadian politician)Cornelius Gallagher was a politician in Alberta, Canada and a municipal councillor and the third mayor of Edmonton.-Biography:...
- 302 - H D Johnson - 51
Public school trustees
A Butchart, W D Ferris, H A Gray, A E May, and Alex Taylor were elected. Detailed results are no longer available.Separate (Catholic) school trustees
Wilfrid GariépyWilfrid Gariépy
Wilfrid Gariepy was a Canadian politician, member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and provincial cabinet minister, member of the Canadian House of Commons, and municipal councillor in Edmonton.-Early life:...
, E J Hart, Prosper-Edmond Lessard
Prosper-Edmond Lessard
Prosper-Edmond Lessard was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1909 to 1921 sitting with the Liberal caucus in government. He also served in the Canadian Senate from 1925 to his death in 1931 sitting with the federal Liberal caucus.-Early life:Lessard was born on February 3, 1873...
, Joseph Henri Picard
Joseph Henri Picard
Joseph Henri Picard was a politician in Alberta, Canada and a municipal councillor in Edmonton.-Biography:...
, S Schultz, and O Tessier were elected. Detailed results are no longer available.
Bylaw 153
A bylaw to authorize an agreement between the Municipality and American Oil Co.- For: 1,208
- Against: 643
Bylaw 112
A bylaw to grant Cyrus S. Eaton and Matt E. Springer a special franchise.- For: 973
- Against: 247
Bylaw 111
A bylaw to grant N.W. Gas and Co. a special franchise.- For: 325
- Against: 670
Bylaw 105
A bylaw to raise the sum of $50,000 to be paid to City Hospital by way of a bonus.- For: 1,083
- Against: 124