1939 Toronto municipal election explained

Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on January 2, 1939. Incumbent Ralph Day was re-elected mayor over former lawyer Lewis Duncan.

Toronto mayor

Day was expected to be acclaimed, but in December lawyer and Liberal Lewis Duncan entered the race. Day but won by a significant margin in a high turnout race.

Results

Ralph Day - 93,060

Lewis Duncan - 53,364

Board of Control

All four Board of Control incumbents were reelected despite a group of high-profile challengers. Closest to winning a seat was Alderman William Croft in fifth place. In sixth place was communist Tim Buck and in seventh Alderman Robert Hood Saunders. Finishing surprisingly far back in eighth was former mayor William D. Robbins.

Neither were successful as all four incumbents were reelected.

Results

Frederick J. Conboy (incumbent) - 80,720

Douglas McNish (incumbent) - 73,252

Fred Hamilton (incumbent) - 54,516

William J. Wadsworth (incumbent) - 49,446

William Croft - 48,798

Tim Buck - 43,112

Robert Hood Saunders - 40,973

William D. Robbins - 24,745

Harry Bradley - 3,489

City council

Ward 1 (Riverdale)

Gordon Millen (incumbent) - 9,583

Frank M. Johnston (incumbent) - 8,464

Charles Minett - 4,374

Fred Kantel - 3,063

John Francis Hughes - 1,414

Samuel Kirk - 735

Ward 2 (Cabbagetown and Rosedale)

Adelaide Plumptre (incumbent) - 6,563

Louis Shannon (incumbent) - 5,829

George A. Wilson - 4,184

D.J. Shannon - 1,434

Matthew C. Wilson - 615

Bob King - 541

Alfred Gagne - 536

Aaron Newton - 367

Ward 3 (Central Business District)

John S. Simmons (incumbent) - 5,325

Percy Quinn (incumbent) - 5,202

Jean Laing - 1,604

Ward 4 (The Annex, Kensington Market and Garment District)

Nathan Phillips (incumbent) - 7,230

David A. Balfour - 6,339

J.B. Salsberg (incumbent) - 5,830

Joseph Stewart - 1,216

Ward 5 (Trinity-Bellwoods

Ernest Bogart (incumbent) - 10,506

Stewart Smith (incumbent) - 8,121

Charles Ward - 6,519

Pat V. Roach - 2,943

Jacob Romer - 1,384

Frederick Cottrell - 697

Ward 6 (Davenport and Parkdale)

William V. Muir - 11,163

D.C. MacGregor (incumbent) - 10,319

George Grannell (incumbent) - 8,922

Neil Cameron - 7,878

Richard Jones - 1,384

William Logie - 1,166

Joseph King - 544

Ward 7 (West Toronto Junction)

Charles Rowntree (incumbent) - 8,901

H.M. Davy - 7,140

Harold Clarke - 1,858

John Whetton - 1,548

Ward 8 (The Beaches)

Ernest Bray (incumbent) - 13,175

Walter Howell (incumbent) - 10,094

Ernest Woollon - 7,104

Gifford Baker - 2,309

Ward 9 (North Toronto)

Donald Fleming - 11,340

John Innes - 10,134

William D. Ellis (incumbent) - 7,982

Basil Donnelly - 3,195

Results taken from the January 3, 1939 Globe and Mail and might not exactly match final tallies.

References

Election Coverage. Globe and Mail. January 3, 1939