Thomas Urquhart (politician)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Urquhart was a Canadian
politician and mayor
of Toronto
.
Born in Wallacetown, Dunwich Township
, Elgin County, Ontario
, a son to Alexander Cameron Urquhart and Sarah McCallum, he attended public school in Wallacetown until 13 years of age and then spent years working with his father, a pioneer tailor and storekeeper in Wallacetown, who, born in Dingwall
, Ross and Cromarty
, Scotland
, came to Canada in 1847.
At 21, he was appointed municipal clerk of the Township of Dunwich
, and later became secretary of the Agricultural Society of West Elgin and secretary of the West Elgin Reform Association. He decided to enter law, and after passing the matriculation examination in 1881, he entered a law office in St. Thomas. In 1882 he entered a second law as a student. In 1886 he graduated from Osgoode Hall
as barrister and solicitor, and entered into different partnerships over the next many years. One partnership was with his brother Daniel Urquhart.
He took a strong role in civic affairs, and was elected alderman
in Toronto’s Ward 4 in 1900 and re-elected in 1901-1902, prior to being elected to the mayor’s chair for three successive years. Thomas was elected mayor in 1903 over Oliver Howland and Daniel Lamb. In 1904 he was re-elected by acclamation, and in 1905 he defeated George Horace Gooderham
.
A strong Liberal
, he was chosen by his party to contest the riding of West Toronto
for the legislature against Hon. Thomas Crawford
. In 1904, he contested the riding of North Toronto for Parliament against Sir George Foster
. In 1906, he ran unsuccessfully against W. K. McNaught.
While he was mayor, he always guarded against encroachments of corporations to destroy the city’s sovereignty over its own streets. During that time, many applications were made by electric railway companies for franchises in adjoining municipalities, and it was feared the Toronto Street Railway Co. would acquire a perpetual franchise in Toronto. He watched every move made and succeeded in keeping Toronto free of entanglements.
He attended the first meeting in Berlin (now Kitchener
) regarding the proposals to establish the hydroelectric system, and he also advocated public ownership of telephone
s. The Great Toronto fire of 1904
occurred during his time as mayor.
Thomas was also a leader in the Toronto Baptist
community, active in both the Walmer Road Baptist Church and the Aurora Baptist Church.
He was first married to Margaret S. McDonald of Peterborough, Ontario
and after her death (in 1925) he married Mary Ellen Hall in 1927.
After becoming ill at his office, Thomas Urquhart was taken to his home at 136 Hillsdale Avenue where he died on February 16, 1931 from influenza
. He was buried in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
on February 18th.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician and mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
.
Born in Wallacetown, Dunwich Township
Dutton/Dunwich, Ontario
Dutton/Dunwich is a municipality located in western Elgin County in Southwestern Ontario, Canada.The municipality was formed in 1998 through an amalgamation of the Village of Dutton and former Township of Dunwich. It includes the Hamlets of Wallacetown, Duttona Beach, and the western parts of both...
, Elgin County, Ontario
Elgin County, Ontario
Elgin County is a county and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario with a current population of approximately 46,000. The county seat is St. Thomas.It consists of:*Town of Aylmer*Municipality of Bayham*Municipality of Central Elgin...
, a son to Alexander Cameron Urquhart and Sarah McCallum, he attended public school in Wallacetown until 13 years of age and then spent years working with his father, a pioneer tailor and storekeeper in Wallacetown, who, born in Dingwall
Dingwall
Dingwall is a town and former royal burgh in the Highland council area of Scotland. It has a population of 5,026. It was formerly an east-coast harbor but now lies inland. Dingwall Castle was once the biggest castle north of Stirling. On the town's present-day outskirts lies Tulloch Castle, parts...
, Ross and Cromarty
Ross and Cromarty
Ross and Cromarty is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. There is a registration county and a lieutenancy area in current use...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, came to Canada in 1847.
At 21, he was appointed municipal clerk of the Township of Dunwich
Dunwich
Dunwich is a small town in Suffolk, England, within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB.Dunwich was the capital of East Anglia 1500 years ago but the harbour and most of the town have since disappeared due to coastal erosion. Its decline began in 1286 when a sea surge hit the East Anglian coast, and...
, and later became secretary of the Agricultural Society of West Elgin and secretary of the West Elgin Reform Association. He decided to enter law, and after passing the matriculation examination in 1881, he entered a law office in St. Thomas. In 1882 he entered a second law as a student. In 1886 he graduated from Osgoode Hall
Osgoode Hall
Osgoode Hall is a landmark building in downtown Toronto constructed between 1829 and 1832 in the late Georgian Palladian and Neoclassical styles. It houses the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Divisional Court of the Superior Court of Justice, and the Law Society of Upper Canada...
as barrister and solicitor, and entered into different partnerships over the next many years. One partnership was with his brother Daniel Urquhart.
He took a strong role in civic affairs, and was elected alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
in Toronto’s Ward 4 in 1900 and re-elected in 1901-1902, prior to being elected to the mayor’s chair for three successive years. Thomas was elected mayor in 1903 over Oliver Howland and Daniel Lamb. In 1904 he was re-elected by acclamation, and in 1905 he defeated George Horace Gooderham
George Horace Gooderham
George Horace Gooderham was an Ontario manufacturer and political figure. He represented Toronto South and then Toronto Southwest in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1908 to 1919 as a Conservative member....
.
A strong Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
, he was chosen by his party to contest the riding of West Toronto
West Toronto
West Toronto was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1904. It was located in the City of Toronto, in the province of Ontario. The district was created by the British North America Act of 1867 and was renamed Toronto West in 1903.West Toronto was...
for the legislature against Hon. Thomas Crawford
Thomas Crawford (politician)
Thomas Crawford was speaker of the Legislature of Ontario in 1907-1911 and served as Conservative MLA for Toronto Northwest and Toronto West from 1894 to 1924....
. In 1904, he contested the riding of North Toronto for Parliament against Sir George Foster
George Eulas Foster
Sir George Eulas Foster, PC, PC, GCMG was a Canadian politician and academic. He coined the phrase "splendid isolation" to describe British foreign policy in the late 19th century....
. In 1906, he ran unsuccessfully against W. K. McNaught.
While he was mayor, he always guarded against encroachments of corporations to destroy the city’s sovereignty over its own streets. During that time, many applications were made by electric railway companies for franchises in adjoining municipalities, and it was feared the Toronto Street Railway Co. would acquire a perpetual franchise in Toronto. He watched every move made and succeeded in keeping Toronto free of entanglements.
He attended the first meeting in Berlin (now Kitchener
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
) regarding the proposals to establish the hydroelectric system, and he also advocated public ownership of telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
s. The Great Toronto fire of 1904
1904 Toronto fire
The Great Fire of Toronto of 1904 was the second great fire that destroyed a large section of Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada on April 19, 1904.-Incident:The fire was first spotted at 8:04 p.m. by a constable on his regular street patrol...
occurred during his time as mayor.
Thomas was also a leader in the Toronto Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
community, active in both the Walmer Road Baptist Church and the Aurora Baptist Church.
He was first married to Margaret S. McDonald of Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough is a city on the Otonabee River in southern Ontario, Canada, 125 kilometres northeast of Toronto. The population of the City of Peterborough was 74,898 as of the 2006 census, while the census metropolitan area has a population of 121,428 as of a 2009 estimate. It presently ranks...
and after her death (in 1925) he married Mary Ellen Hall in 1927.
After becoming ill at his office, Thomas Urquhart was taken to his home at 136 Hillsdale Avenue where he died on February 16, 1931 from influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
. He was buried in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery
Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto
Mount Pleasant Cemetery is a cemetery located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.In the early 19th century, the only authorized cemeteries within the city of Toronto were limited to the members of either the Roman Catholic Church or the Church of England...
on February 18th.