1955 Toronto municipal election explained

Election Name:1955 Toronto mayoral election
Country:Toronto
Type:Mayoral
Ongoing:no
Party Name:no
Previous Election:1954 Toronto municipal election
Previous Year:1954
Election Date:December 5, 1955
Next Election:1956 Toronto municipal election
Next Year:1956
Candidate1:Nathan Phillips
Popular Vote1:70,647
Percentage1:70%
Image1:File:Mayor_Nathan_Phillips_wearing_chain_of_office.jpg
Candidate2:Roy E. Belyea
Popular Vote2:26,717
Percentage2:26%
Mayor of Toronto
Before Election:Nathan Phillips
After Election:Nathan Phillips

Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on December 5, 1955. Incumbent mayor Nathan Phillips, elected a year earlier, was easily reelected, defeating Controller Roy E. Belyea and Trotskyist Ross Dowson.[1]

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.

Toronto mayor

Nathan Phillips was opposed for reelection after his first year in office by Board of Control member Roy E. Belyea, who had been a staunch opponent of Phillips during the year. Also running was Trotskyist Ross Dowson.

Results√[2]
  • Nathan Phillips - 70,647
  • Roy E. Belyea - 26,717
  • Ross Dowson - 2,374

    Plebiscites

    Two questions appeared on the ballot. The first was on whether municipal terms of office should be extended to two years from one. The second was to authorize the construction of a proposed new city hall to replace the existing city hall, which had been built in 1899.[3] The proposed structure, designed by a partnership of three leading Toronto architectural forms, would have been a conservative, symmetrical limestone-clad building in the Modernist style facing a landscaped square, and was widely criticized as "drab and boxy".[4]

    Two-year term[5]
  • For - 48,024
  • Against - 33,688

    Two-year terms would be put in place effective the 1956 Toronto municipal election.

    New City Hall[5]
  • For - 28,449
  • Against - 32,564

    As a result of the rejection of the proposed structure, city council decided, in 1956, to hold an [international [[architectural design competition]] to find a better design. A proposal by Finnish architect Viljo Revell would be accepted. Construction of New City Hall began in 1961, and the building was officially opened on 13 September 1965.[6]

    Board of Control

    There were two vacancies on the Board of Control after Roy E. Belyea's decision to run for mayor and Controller David Balfour's decision to retire. The most senior two Controllers in terms of votes also sat on Metro Toronto Council.

    Results
  • Ford Brand (incumbent) - 59,264
  • Joseph Cornish (incumbent) - 55,162
  • William Allen - 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

    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) - 6,945
  • George Phillips - 2,916
  • Fred Beavis - 2,828
  • Stanley Hare - 2,137
  • Christie - 1,403
  • Montgomery - 960
  • Basil Ingleby - 886
  • Jean Brown - 3,412
    Ward 2 (Regent Park and Rosedale)
  • William Dennison (incumbent) - 5,366
  • Edgar Roxborough (incumbent) - 4,051
  • May Birchard - 2,127
  • Douglas Shaw - 1,528
  • Philip Rowley - 683
    Ward 3 (West Downtown and Summerhill)
  • Ross Parry - 4,149
  • Howard Phillips (incumbent) - 2,802
  • John MacVicar (incumbent) - 2,260
  • Richard James - 1,737
    Ward 4 (The Annex, Kensington Market and Garment District)
  • Herbert Orliffe (incumbent) - 4,515
  • Francis Chambers - 3,746
  • David Rotenberg - 2,086
  • Robert Laxer - 1,073
  • Levitt - 824
  • John Anture - 386
  • Dorothy Cureatz - 362
    Ward 5 (Trinity-Bellwoods and Little Italy)
  • Philip Givens (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)
  • May Robinson (incumbent) - 10,233
  • Frank Clifton (incumbent) - 9,473
  • Grittani - 2,797
  • George Jackson - 2,274
    Ward 7 (Bloor West Village)
  • William Davidson (incumbent) - 5,506
  • John Kucherepa (incumbent) - 4,993
  • Thomas Wilson - 2,124
  • William Repka - 653
    Ward 8 (The Beaches)
  • 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)
  • Jean Newman (incumbent) - 14,984
  • Frank Nash - 12,736
  • Waterfield - 3,101

    Results are taken from the December 6, 1955 Toronto Star and might not exactly match final tallies.

    Suburbs

    Etobicoke, East York, Mimico, and Forest Hill elected their councils for two-year terms in 1954 and did not hold elections in 1955.

    Leaside

    Mayor
  • Charles H. Hiscott - 2,228
  • Joseph Banigan - 1,073

    Hiscott defeated Councillor Joseph Bannigan to replace retiring mayor Howard Burrell

    Source: "Suburban elections", The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]06 Dec 1955: 13

    Long Branch

    Reeve
  • (incumbent)Marie Curtis (acclaimed)

    New Toronto

    Mayor
  • (incumbent)Donald R. Russell (acclaimed)

    North York

    Reeve
  • (incumbent)Fred J. McMahon - 16,269
  • Maurice T. Hook - 6,181McMahon was re-elected, defeating his challenger Deputy Reeve Maurice T. Hook.

    Source: "Fred McMahon Is Re-elected N. York Reeve", The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]06 Dec 1955: 13

    Scarborough

    Reeve
  • Gus Harris - 14,304
  • (incumbent)Oliver E. Crockford - 10,178
    Deputy Reeve
  • Albert Campbell - 15,369
  • George Baker - 8,521

    Harris defeated the incumbent, Oliver Crockford

    Source: "Suburban elections", The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]06 Dec 1955: 13

    Swansea

    Reeve

    Weston

    Mayor

    York

    Reeve
  • (incumbent)Frederick W. Hall - 6,555
  • Walter Saunders - 6,256
  • Charles McMaster - 1,039
  • Norman Penner - 1,006

    Source: "Few Brave Cold Rain To Vote in 3 Suburbs", Taylor, Ewart. The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]05 Dec 1955: 1

    Notes and References

    1. News: Star Staff . Mayor Easy Winner Approve 2-Year Term New City Hall Lost . 12 November 2023 . Toronto Daily Star . 6 December 1955 . 1,14 . Newspapers.com . subscription.
    2. News: Star Staff . Mayor Easy Winner Approve 2-Year Term New City Hall Lost . 12 November 2023 . Toronto Daily Star . 6 December 1955 . 1,14 . Newspapers.com . subscription.
    3. News: Ivanov. Andrej. Sep 18, 1899: Old City Hall First Opens. Toronto Star. GT4. 17 September 2016.
    4. News: What City Hall might have looked like in Toronto . September 14, 2020 . blogTO . August 16, 2020.
    5. News: Hall . John . $18,000,000 City Hall Rejected by Voters . 12 November 2023 . The Globe & Mail . 6 December 1955 . Toronto . 1 . ProQuest . subscription.
    6. News: Star Staff . Whoosh, Bang – It's Open! P.S. There was confusion, too at City Hall . 12 November 2023 . Toronto Daily Star . 14 September 1965 . 1, 10 . Newspapers.com . subscription.

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