1954 Toronto municipal election
Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on December 6, 1954. Incumbent mayor Leslie Saunders was defeated by Nathan Phillips in a close contest.
Toronto mayor
Controller Leslie Saunders had been appointed mayor after the resignation of Allan Lamport, who left to work with the Toronto Transit Commission. He was challenged by Nathan Phillips, a longtime city councilor who had made a previous attempt to win the mayoralty. Phillips was Jewish, a sharp departure from the standard for Toronto mayors, who for decades had been Protestant Orange Order members.
Phillips' religion was an important issue in the election. Saunders publicly proclaimed he was running as "Leslie Saunders, Protestant". Saunders was a leader of the Orange Order and the publisher of the radical monthly newspaper Protestant Action. His anti-Catholicism and proclamations that Toronto was a "Protestant city" had caused controversy in the past. One of his first acts after ascending to the mayoralty was to issue an official proclamation commemorating The Twelfth, the anniversary of the victory of William of Orange over the Irish.
A second controversy arose during the election when Brown released accusation about room 1735 in the Royal York hotel. He argued that the room was a secret entertainment suite paid for by the city for the use of the mayor. Saunders claims that it was rented by Mayor Lamport and that he was totally unaware of the suite. Nonetheless the scandal hurt his reelection bid.
Also running was former school board head Arthur Brown, who had previously come close to defeating Lamport for the job, and who had the support of the Globe and Mail newspaper. The Toronto Star and the Telegram both supported Phillips. Saunders in his memoirs accuses Brown of splitting the "Christian and Gentile vote" and getting Phillips elected.[1]
The fourth candidate was Communist A. A. MacLeod, former Labor-Progressive Party M.P.P in the Ontario legislature for Bellwoods.[2]
- Results
- Nathan Phillips - 40,683
- Leslie Saunders - 36,756
- Arthur Brown - 36,613
- A. A. MacLeod - 4,932
Board of Control
Saunders' appointment to the mayoralty led to the appointment of Alderman Ross Lipsett to the Board of Control. This controversially passed over former Alderman Joseph Cornish, who had finished fifth in the 1953 election. Cornish won more votes than Lipsett; in this multi-member election, both got seats on the board.
- Results
- Ford Brand (incumbent) - 69,540
- Roy Belyea (incumbent) - 66,223
- David Balfour (incumbent) - 62,871
- Joseph Cornish - 55,277
- Ross Lipsett (incumbent) - 45,385
- Harry Bradley - 20,488
- Harry Hunter - 14,114
- Ben Nobleman - 9,413
- George Rolland - 5,280
City council
- Ward 1 (Riverdale)
- William Allen (incumbent) - 8,855
- Ken Waters (incumbent) - 8,042
- George Phillips - 2,282
- Stanley Hare - 1,381
- Thornley - 932
- Ward 2 (Regent Park and Rosedale)
- William Dennison (incumbent) - 4,831
- Edgar Roxborough (incumbent) - 4,479
- Douglas Shaw - 2,268
- C.M. Edwards - 1,551
- Morrison - 669
- Philip Rowley - 647
- Ward 3 (West Downtown and Summerhill)
- Howard Phillips (incumbent) - acclaimed
- John MacVicar (incumbent) - acclaimed
Phillips was chosen to become Metro Councillor.
- Ward 4 (The Annex, Kensington Market and Garment District)
- Allan Grossman (incumbent) - 6,455
- Herbert Orliffe (incumbent) - 5,345
- Robert Laxer - 1,368
- Bernard Levitt - 1,307
- Blainey - 756
- Ward 5 (Trinity-Bellwoods and Little Italy)
- Philip Givens (incumbent) - 7,470
- Joseph Gould (incumbent) - 6,770
- Stewart Smith - 2,678
- Teslia - 2,105
- Ward 6 (Davenport and Parkdale)
- May Robinson (incumbent) - 11,349
- Frank Clifton (incumbent) - 10,470
- Grittani - 2,763
- Hector MacArthur - 2,067
- Tennant - 1,684
- Muir - 1,561
- Patrick McKeown - 1,039
- Ward 7 (Bloor West Village)
- William Davidson (incumbent) - 6,228
- John Kucherepa (incumbent) - 4,989
- John Duncan - 3,951
- John Weir - 1,915
- Ward 8 (The Beaches)
- Donald Summerville - 10,002
- Alex Hodgins (incumbent) - 8,327
- Albert G. Cranham - 6,485
- William Probert (incumbent) - 3,169
- McNulty - 2,553
- James Davis - 1,210
- John Square - 384
- Ward 9 (North Toronto)
- Jean Newman - 14,873
- Leonard Reilly (incumbent) - 11,261
- David Burt (incumbent) - 9,819
- Frederick Vacher - 1,394
Results are taken from the December 7, 1954 Toronto Star and might not exactly match final tallies.
Suburbs
East York
- Reeve
- Harry G. Simpson
Leaside
- Mayor
- Howard T. Burrell
Long Branch
- Reeve
- (x)Marie Curtis 2,020
- Sherman Anderson 248
Election occurred on December 11th.
Source: "Mrs. Marie Curtis Reeve Again By An Overwhelming Majority", Toronto Daily Star, December 13, 1954, pg 10
Mimico
- Mayor
- William Arthur (Gus) Edwards 1,669
- (x)Archibald Douglas Norris 1,256
Election occurred on December 11th.
Source: "Reeve W. Edwards Defeats Mayor Norris At Mimico", Toronto Daily Star, December 13, 1954, pg 10
New Toronto
- Mayor
- Donald Russell 1,811
- (x)John L. (Jack) Strath 841
Election occurred on December 11th.
Source: "Mayor Strath Defeated. D. Russell Easy Winner", Toronto Daily Star, December 13, 1954, pg 10
North York
- Reeve
(x)Fred J. McMahon
Scarborough
- Reeve
- Oliver E. Crockford
Swansea
- Reeve
- (x)Dorothy Hague (acclaimed)
Weston
- Mayor
- Harry Clark
York
- Reeve
- (x)Fred W. Hall
References
- Leslie Howard Saunders. An Orangeman in public life: the memoirs of Leslie Howard Saunders. Britannia Printers, 1980 pg. 128
- "A. A. MacLeod: Dominated Legislature as left-wing member" The Globe and Mail (1936-Current); Mar 14, 1970; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Globe and Mail pg. 12
- Election Coverage. Toronto Star. December 7, 1955
- Nathan Phillips. Mayor of All the People McClelland and Stewart, 1967
- Leslie Howard Saunders. An Orangeman in public life: the memoirs of Leslie Howard Saunders. Britannia Printers, 1980
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