1956 Toronto municipal election explained

Election Name:1956 Toronto mayoral election
Country:Toronto
Type:Mayoral
Ongoing:no
Party Name:no
Previous Election:1955 Toronto municipal election
Previous Year:1955
Election Date:December 3, 1956
Next Election:1958 Toronto municipal election
Next Year:1958
Candidate1:Nathan Phillips
Popular Vote1:80,352
Percentage1:89.1%
Image1:File:Mayor Nathan Phillips wearing chain of office (cropped).jpg
Candidate2:Ross Dowson
Popular Vote2:9,834
Percentage2:10.9%
Mayor of Toronto
Before Election:Nathan Phillips
After Election:Nathan Phillips

Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on December 3, 1956. Incumbent mayor Nathan Phillips was easily reelected. Jean Newman became the first woman elected to the Board of Control, and topped the poll to become budget chief.

Toronto mayor

Nathan Phillips, elected two years earlier, faced only limited opposition from Trotskyist Ross Dowson and was easily reelected.

Results
  • Nathan Phillips - 80,352
  • Ross Dowson - 9,834

    Board of Control

    All four sitting Board of Control members chose to run for re-election. Controller and former mayor Leslie Saunders was pushed off the board by Jean Newman's victory. Newman is the first woman to be elected to the Board of Control or to win a city-wide election in Toronto. The most senior two Controllers in terms of votes also sat on Metro Toronto Council.

    Results
  • Jean Newman - 54,785
  • Ford Brand (incumbent) - 54,178
  • William Allen (incumbent) - 54,038
  • Joseph Cornish (incumbent) - 49,385
  • Leslie Saunders (incumbent) - 47,048
  • Harry Bradley - 16,450
  • Charles Sims - 6961
  • George Rolland - 5,632

    City council

    Two aldermen were elected per Ward. The alderman with the most votes was declared Senior Alderman and sat on both Toronto City Council and Metro Council.

    Ward 1 (Riverdale)
  • Ken Waters (incumbent) - 6,318
  • Fred Beavis - 3,636
  • Jean Brown - 3,412
  • George Phillips (incumbent) - 2,578
  • Dominic Di Stasi - 1,657
  • Basil Ingleby - 494
    Ward 2 (Regent Park and Rosedale)
  • William Dennison (incumbent) - 4,962
  • May Birchard - 2,614
  • Sterling Campbell - 2,567
  • Edgar Roxborough (incumbent) - 2,380
  • Andrew Kavanaugh - 569
  • Philip Rowley - 528
    Ward 3 (West Downtown and Summerhill)
  • Ross Parry (incumbent) - 4,149
  • John MacVicar - 1,980
  • Richard James - 2,537
    Ward 4 (The Annex, Kensington Market and Garment District)
  • Herbert Orliffe (incumbent) - 4,437
  • Francis Chambers (incumbent) - 3,449
  • David Rotenberg - 2,692
  • Dorothy Cureatz - 628
    Ward 5 (Trinity-Bellwoods and Little Italy)
  • Philip Givens (incumbent) - 6,226
  • Harold Menzies (incumbent) - 5,177
  • Ben Nobleman - 1,500
  • Paul Pauk - 1,092
    Ward 6 (Davenport and Parkdale)
  • May Robinson (incumbent) - 8,691
  • Frank Clifton (incumbent) - 7,171
  • William Stevens - 3,884
  • Wallace Martin - 2,066
  • John Shedden - 1,795
  • George Jackson - 1,498
    Ward 7 (Bloor West Village)
  • William Davidson (incumbent) - 5,122
  • John Kucherepa (incumbent) - 5,069
  • Thomas Wilson - 1,548
  • Stewart - 1,077
  • William Repka - 579
    Ward 8 (The Beaches)
  • Donald Summerville (incumbent) - 12,567
  • Albert G. Cranham (incumbent) - 9,577
  • Chris Stavro - 2,488
  • John Square - 1,146
    Ward 9 (North Toronto)
  • Frank Nash (incumbent) - 12,084
  • Kenneth Ostrander - 10,515
  • Alex Thompson - 8,064

    Results are taken from the December 4, 1956 Toronto Star and might not exactly match final tallies.

    Changes

    Ward 7 Alderman John Kucherepa resigned January 6, 1958 having been elected in the 1957 Federal Election; Thomas Wilson was appointed replacement on January 20.

    Suburbs

    East York

    Reeve
  • Jack Raymond Allen - 5,757
  • C. Howard Chandler - 4,510

    Jack R. Allen defeated business executive C. Howard Chandler.Source:[1]

    Etobicoke

    Reeve
  • H.O. Waffle - 9,519
  • Jack Bennett - 5,014

    Deputy Reeve Waffle defeated Bennett, a former Toronto alderman to replace retiring reeve Bev Lewis.

    Deputy Reeve
  • Murray Johnston - 8,005
  • Charles Devlin - 6,429

    Source:[1]

    Forest Hill

    Reeve
  • Laurie T. Simonsky (acclaimed)

    Source:[1]

    Leaside

    Mayor
  • (incumbent)Charles Hiscott (acclaimed)

    Source:[1]

    Long Branch

    Reeve
  • (incumbent)Marie Curtis - 1,522
  • William Cambera - 553
  • Sherman Anderson - 175
    Deputy Reeve
  • Maurice Breen - 1,309
  • Stanley Purvis - 888

    Source:[1]

    Mimico

    Mayor
  • (incumbent)William Arthur (Gus) Edwards - 1,802
  • Owen Gertrude - 1,098

    Source:[1]

    New Toronto

    Mayor
  • (incumbent)Donald Russell - 1,783
  • David Post - 810

    Source:[1]

    North York

    Reeve
  • Vernon Singer - 24,045
  • Maurice T. Hook - 5,302

    Councillor Singer defeated former deputy reeve Hook to replace retiring reeve, Fred McMahon.Source:[1]

    Scarborough

    Reeve
  • Albert Campbell - 13,470
  • (incumbent)Gus Harris - 11,569
    Deputy Reeve
  • George R. Mason - 13,270
  • John Algar - 11,361

    Source:[1]

    Swansea

    Reeve
  • (incumbent)Dorothy Hague (acclaimed)
    Deputy Reeve
  • H.B. Squarebriggs - 1,233
  • K.C. Woodsworth - 740

    Source:[1]

    Weston

    Mayor

    Source:[1]

    York

    Reeve
  • Chris Tonks - 8,742
  • Walter Saunders - 7,736
  • Charles McMaster - 1,993

    Source:[1]

    References

    Notes and References

    1. "Many New Faces Lead Suburban Councils", Toronto Daily Star (1900-1971); Toronto, Ontario [Toronto, Ontario]04 Dec 1956: 10.