Toronto municipal election, 1955
Encyclopedia
Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Canada, on December 5, 1955. Incumbent mayor Nathan Phillips
, elected a year earlier, was easily reelected.
Two referendums were held with the elections. One, which passed, was to extend the municipal term to two years. Previously elections had been held every year. There was also a vote on funding a new Toronto City Hall
, which was rejected by voters.
was opposed for reelection after his first year in office by Board of Control
member Roy Belyea, who had been a staunch opponent of Phillips during the year. Also running was Trotskyist Ross Dowson
.
Results
after Roy Belyea's decision to run for mayor and Controller David Balfour's decision to retire.
Results
)
Ward 2 (Regent Park
and Rosedale
)
Ward 3 (West Downtown
and Summerhill
)
Ward 4 (The Annex
, Kensington Market
and Garment District)
Ward 5 (Trinity-Bellwoods and Little Italy
)
Ward 6 (Davenport and Parkdale
)
Ward 7 (Bloor West Village
)
Ward 8 (The Beaches
)
Ward 9 (North Toronto
)
Results taken form the December 6, 1955 Toronto Star and might not exactly match final tallies.
Nathan 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...
, elected a year earlier, was easily reelected.
Two referendums were held with the elections. One, which passed, was to extend the municipal term to two years. Previously elections had been held every year. There was also a vote on funding a new Toronto City Hall
Toronto City Hall
The City Hall of Toronto, Ontario, Canada is the home of the city's municipal government and one of its most distinctive landmarks. Designed by Finnish architect Viljo Revell and landscape architect Richard Strong, and engineered by Hannskarl Bandel, the building opened in 1965...
, which was rejected by voters.
Toronto mayor
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...
was opposed for reelection after his first year in office by 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...
member Roy Belyea, who had been a staunch opponent of Phillips during the year. Also running was Trotskyist Ross Dowson
Ross Dowson
Ross Jewitt Dowson was a Canadian Trotskyist political figure.-Early life:Dowson joined the Trotskyist movement as a teenager during the Great Depression. The Canadian Trotskyist movement collapsed at the beginning of World War II as leaders such as Jack MacDonald, Maurice Spector and Earle Birney...
.
Results
- 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...
- 70,647 - Roy Belyea - 26,717
- Ross DowsonRoss DowsonRoss Jewitt Dowson was a Canadian Trotskyist political figure.-Early life:Dowson joined the Trotskyist movement as a teenager during the Great Depression. The Canadian Trotskyist movement collapsed at the beginning of World War II as leaders such as Jack MacDonald, Maurice Spector and Earle Birney...
- 2,374
Board of Control
There were two vacancies on the Board of ControlToronto 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...
after Roy Belyea's decision to run for mayor and Controller David Balfour's decision to retire.
Results
- Ford Brand (incumbent) - 59,264
- Joseph CornishJoseph CornishF. Joseph Cornish, Q.C. was a lawyer, judge and Toronto politician who served as alderman for Ward 2 and as a member of the Toronto Board of Control as well as a Metro Toronto Councillor....
(incumbent) - 55,162 - William AllenWilliam Allen (Canadian politician)William Randall Allen, QC was a Toronto politician who served as the Chairman of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto from 1962 to 1969 and is the namesake of the W.R. Allen Expressway . Metropolitan Toronto was created by the Province of Ontario in 1952 and comprised Toronto, North York,...
- 53,455 - Leslie Saunders - 46,528
- Arthur Brown - 41,351
- Harry Bradley - 14,802
- Alex Hodgins - 13,503
- Harry Hunter - 9,493
- George Rolland - 3,923
- George Stanton - 3,863
City council
Ward 1 (RiverdaleRiverdale, 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....
)
- Ken Waters (incumbent) - 6,945
- George Phillips - 2,916
- Fred BeavisFred BeavisFrederick J. Beavis was a longtime city councillor in Toronto, Ontario, who briefly served as interim mayor of the city in 1978.Beavis operated the Beavis Bros. Roofing Co. with his brothers before becoming a full-time politician....
- 2,828 - Stanley Hare - 2,137
- Christie - 1,403
- Montgomery - 960
- Basil Ingleby - 886
- Jean Brown - 3,412
Ward 2 (Regent Park
Regent Park
Regent Park is a neighbourhood located in Old Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Regent Park is Canada's oldest and largest social housing project; built in the late 1940s. Formerly the centre of the Cabbagetown neighbourhood, it is bounded by Gerrard Street East to the north, River Street to the east,...
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....
)
- William Dennison (incumbent) - 5,366
- Edgar Roxborough (incumbent) - 4,051
- May BirchardMay BirchardMay Birchard was a municipal politician and poverty activist in Toronto, Canada. Born in Toronto she married F.J. Birchard, an agricultural scientist who was an expert on grain. During the First World War the family moved to Winnipeg...
- 2,127 - Douglas Shaw - 1,528
- Philip Rowley - 683
Ward 3 (West Downtown
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...
and Summerhill
Summerhill, Toronto
The Summerhill neighbourhood in central Toronto was named after 'Summer Hill' house, built in 1842 by Canadian transportation baron Charles Thompson.Much of the area was once part of the Thompson estate but was subdivided by his heirs in the 1880s....
)
- Ross Parry - 4,149
- Howard Phillips (incumbent) - 2,802
- John MacVicar (incumbent) - 2,260
- Richard James - 1,737
Ward 4 (The Annex
The Annex
The Annex is a neighbourhood in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The traditional boundaries of the neighbourhood are north to Dupont Street, south to Bloor Street, west to Bathurst Street and east to Avenue Road...
, 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)
- 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...
(incumbent) - 4,515 - Francis Chambers - 3,746
- David RotenbergDavid RotenbergDavid Rotenberg is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1977 to 1985 as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party, and was briefly a cabinet minister in the government of Frank Miller.Rotenberg was born in Toronto, and educated at the...
- 2,086 - Robert LaxerRobert LaxerRobert M. Laxer was a Canadian psychologist, professor, author, and political activist.Laxer was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1915 and graduated from McGill University with a B.A. in 1936 and an M.A. in 1939. Laxer joined the Communist Party of Canada during the Great Depression...
- 1,073 - Levitt - 824
- John Anture - 386
- Dorothy Cureatz - 362
Ward 5 (Trinity-Bellwoods and Little Italy
Little Italy, Toronto
Little Italy, sometimes referred to as College Street West, is a district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is well known for its numerous Italian Canadian restaurants and businesses. There is also a significant Latin American and Portuguese community in the area...
)
- Philip GivensPhilip GivensPhilip Gerald Givens, QC was a Mayor of Toronto, Canada, Member of Parliament and judge.Raised in Toronto, Givens attended Harbord Collegiate Institute....
(incumbent) - 5,605 - Harold Menzies - 4,929
- Teslia - 1,907
- Paul Pauk - 1,228
- Tennant - 1,140
- Di Stasi - 872
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...
)
- May Robinson (incumbent) - 10,233
- Frank Clifton (incumbent) - 9,473
- Grittani - 2,797
- George Jackson - 2,274
Ward 7 (Bloor West Village
Bloor West Village
Bloor West Village is a shopping district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located along Bloor Street, it encompasses all businesses along Bloor Street between Jane Street and Ellis Park Road, consisting of more than 400 shops, restaurants and services. The mix of stores include specialty clothing...
)
- William Davidson (incumbent) - 5,506
- John KucherepaJohn KucherepaJohn William Kucherepa was a Progressive Conservative party member of the Canadian House of Commons.Kucherepa was born in Toronto, Ontario where he attended the Humberside Collegiate Institute and Western High School of Commerce in his youth...
(incumbent) - 4,993 - Thomas Wilson - 2,124
- William Repka - 653
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...
)
- Donald Summerville (incumbent) - 13,139
- Albert G. Cranham - 8,456
- Brawley - 2,542
- Chris Stavro - 1,682
- Davis - 1,252
- John Square - 529
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...
)
- Jean NewmanJean NewmanJean Newman was a municipal politician in Toronto, Canada. She served as Controller budget chief and was the first woman to run for Mayor of Toronto....
(incumbent) - 14,984 - Frank Nash - 12,736
- Waterfield - 3,101
Results taken form the December 6, 1955 Toronto Star and might not exactly match final tallies.