1934 Toronto municipal election explained

Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on January 1, 1934. William James Stewart easily won reelection to his fourth term as mayor. This election also marked a major reduction in the size of city council. Previously each ward had elected three members, starting this year each ward had only two representatives.

Toronto mayor

William James Stewart had been elected mayor in 1931, and was running in his fourth election. His nearest competitor was Alderman H.L. Rogers.

Results

William James Stewart - 72,536

H.L. Rogers - 17,222

A.E. Smith - 8,208

Albert Hacker - 6,440

Board of Control

For the second election in a row the membership of the Board of Control remained unchanged. Only the order the members were returned altered. One notable candidate was Alice Buck, wife of imprisoned Communist leader Tim Buck.

Results

Sam McBride (incumbent) - 54,855

J. George Ramsden (incumbent) - 48,152

James Simpson (incumbent) - 47,358

William D. Robbins (incumbent) - 37,714

William J. Wadsworth - 36,289

Claude Pearce - 31,156

Percy Quinn - 26,872

Alice Buck - 9,767

Harry Bradley - 2,623

City council

Beginning with this election, the number of aldermen was reduced to two per ward.

Ward 1 (Riverdale)

Ralph Day (incumbent) - 7,658

Frank M. Johnston (incumbent) - 6,858

Robert Allen (incumbent) - 5,673

David Spencer - 1,580

Thomas Cooney - 977

Ward 2 (Cabbagetown and Rosedale)

Harry Gladstone Clarke (incumbent) - 4,619

John R. Beamish (incumbent) - 2,957

John Winnett (incumbent) - 1,921

William Dennison - 2,659

Frank Ward - 1,291

John Murray - 444

Ward 3 (Central Business District)

Harry W. Hunt (incumbent) - 3,007

John Laidlaw - 2,521

John Corcoran (incumbent) - 2,263

Lumsden Cummings - 1,211

Ward 4 (Kensington Market and Garment District)

J.J. Glass (incumbent) - 4,823

Nathan Phillips (incumbent) - 4,301

Thomas Cruden - 2,004

Myer Klig - 934

Ward 5 (Trinity-Bellwoods)

Fred Hamilton (incumbent) - 6,636

George Duthie (incumbent) - 5,286

Thomas Holdswoth (incumbent) - 4,011

Charles Ward - 2,460

James Conner - 1,905

Thomas Black - 1,798

Alfred Willicombe - 938

Ward 6 (Davenport and Parkdale)

William Duckworth (incumbent) - 10,770

D.C. MacGregor (incumbent) - 8,067

Harold Tracy - 5,674

John Russell (incumbent) - 5,417

Edward Mosur - 1,299

Ward 7 (West Toronto Junction)

George H. Gardiner - 6,035

Frank Whetter (incumbent) - 5,085

Harry Wynn - 2,764

George Watson - 2,046

James Morris - 348

Ward 8 (East Toronto)

Goldwin Elgie (incumbent) - 11,052

Ernest Bray (incumbent) - 9,603

Robert Baker (incumbent) - 7,032

David Weir - 1,327

Ward 9 (North Toronto)

Harold Kirby (incumbent) - 6,424

William D. Ellis (incumbent) - 6,195

Neil MacMillan - 3,332

Cecil Dunsford - 2,263

George McCollum - 1,510

John McGonnell - 475

Results taken from the January 2, 1934 Toronto Star and might not exactly match final tallies.

References

Election Coverage. Toronto Star. January 2, 1934