1856 Toronto municipal election

The 1856 City of Toronto Municipal Election was the city's 22nd municipal election. Polling occurred on the first Monday and Tuesday of the year, January 7th and 8th. Elections for Aldermen and Councilmen were held in seven wards and for the Municipal License Inspector.

City of Toronto 1856 Municipal Election
January 7, 1856 (1856-01-07)
All 28 members of Toronto City Council
Mayor appointed by majority of City Council

Nominees for Mayor
Candidate John Beverley Robinson

(elected 15 - 11)

 John Hutchison

After the election, John Beverley Robinson a member of the family compact and strong supporter of the railroads, was elected Mayor by City Council, beating John Hutchison a Toronto merchant, who had a reputation for opposing corruption.

Background

By the standards of 1850s civic politics, where riots disrupted voting in 1855 and 1857, the election of the Council for 1856 was quiet.[1] The issues that animated the campaign included awarding a major public works contract to complete The Esplanade, the controversy around establishing Separate Schools for Roman Catholics, and taverns licenses.[2]

The Esplanade Contract

In 1853, the City of Toronto passed the Esplanade Act to fill in land along the city's waterfront to provide a route for railways to cross the city and a public promenade along the waterfront. The contract was awarded to Gzowski and Company to construct the Esplanade, but multiple issues created a scandal, and in April 1855, City Council voted to annul the contract. However, the decision to cancel the contract led the Grand Trunk Railway, depending on the waterfront route, to threaten to place its track along Queen Street. This led to numerous public meetings and tremendous public pressure to finish the Esplanade.[3]

City Council negotiated with the Grand Trunk Railway during the election campaign to construct the Esplanade. A primary concern was who was obligated to pay for crossings over the rail corridor, the city, or the railway.[4] A special meeting was called on January 13, 1856, after the election but before the new City Council was sworn in to approve the contract, with the modification that the city was responsible for paying for and building any ramps or bridges over the railway tracks, instead of the Grand Trunk Railway. Despite the previous controversies, the outgoing City Council approved the contract unanimously.[5]

Election of the Mayor

After the municipal election, City Council convened on January 21, 1856, to elect a Mayor. The proceedings were well-attended, with the gallery filled with spectators eager to witness a contest between John Beverley Robinson, who represented the Family Compact and John Hutchison, supported by the city's burgeoning mercantile community.[6]

Alderman Dunn nominated Robinson for the position of Mayor, with the motion seconded by Councilman Davis. Alderman Dunn argued in favor of Robinson. He was the most qualified candidate and the only St. Patrick's Ward nominee not represented in the mayoral office for some time. Alderman Crooks nominated John Hutchison for Mayor, challenging Robinson's competency and criticizing him for not taking an interest in Council business when he was Alderman in 1854 and for not running for Council in 1855. Crooks also accused Robinson of arranging Councilman Moodie's absence from Council for the vote.[7]

In an attempt to influence the mayoral election, Councilman Moodie, an employee of the Grand Trunk Railway and a vocal supporter of Hutchison, was dispatched by his employer to Montreal three days before the election of the Mayor by City Council, despite his objections.[8] Notwithstanding the controversy, Robinson was elected Mayor by a majority of 4, with the motion carried 15 to 11.[7]

City Council Results

Each ward elected 2 Aldermen and 2 Councilmen. There were ten open seats in the 1856 election, and 15 members of the City Council stood for re-election. Two incumbents lost, Angus Morrison (elected to the Provincial assembly in the summer of 1854) and William Graham.[9]

St. James' Ward
Position Candidate Votes  % ± Vote for Mayor
Aldermen John Harrington Elected 427 40.9% N/A Yea
John Hutchison Elected 346 33.1% N/A Nay
Hewitt Lost 272 26.0% N/A
N/A
Councilmen John Wilson(X) Elected 317 32.4% +2.3% Yea
John Cameron Elected 244 25.0% N/A Nay
Thompson Lost 174 17.8% N/A
N/A
Mitchell Lost 158 16.2% N/A
N/A
A.H. St. Germain Lost 84 8.6% N/A
N/A
St. Andrew's Ward
Position Candidate Votes  % ± Vote for Mayor
Aldermen John Worthington Elected 279 41.9% N/A Yea
R.P. Crooks (X) Elected 205 30.8% -4.9% Nay
Ritchey Lost 182 27.3% N/A
N/A
Councilmen Henry Prettie (X) Elected 276 42.9% +15.2% Yea
Henry Sproat Elected 229 35.6% N/A Yea
Charles Fisher Lost 138 21.5% +3.7%
N/A
St. John's Ward
Position Candidate Votes  % ± Vote for Mayor
Aldermen John Bugg (X) Elected 347 52.1% +16.3% Nay
Richard Dempsey Elected 319 47.9% +15.8% Yea
Councilmen Robert Moodie Elected 336 46.8% +12.6%
Absent
Joseph Rowell (X) Elected 241 33.6% +3.6% Nay
Carnegie Lost 141 19.6% N/A
N/A
St. David's Ward
Position Candidate Votes  % ± Vote for Mayor
Aldermen William Henderson (X) Elected 340 37.0% -3.2% Nay
John George Bowes Elected 318 34.6% N/A Yea
Brooke Lost 261 28.4% N/A
N/A
Councilmen Adam Beatty (X) Elected 328 32.8% -10.1% Yea
John Carruthers (X) Elected 235 23.5% -13.8% Nay
James Mallon Lost 221 22.1% N/A
N/A
William Ramsey Lost 215 21.5% N/A
N/A
St. Lawrence Ward
Position Candidate Votes  % ± Vote for Mayor
Aldermen Alexander Manning Elected 204 39.1% +12.0% Nay
William Strachan Elected 180 34.5% N/A Nay
D.K. Feehan Lost 138 26.4% N/A
N/A
Councilmen William Davis Elected 199 36.2% N/A Yea
William Murphy (X) Elected 176 32.0% -5.7% Yea
Ernest Lost 175 31.9% N/A
N/A
St. George's Ward
Position Candidate Votes  % ± Vote for Mayor
Aldermen John Duggan (X) Elected 172 42.1% -5.5% Nay
G.A. Philpotts(X) Elected 122 29.8% -5.9% Yea
Brunel Lost 115 28.1% N/A
N/A
Councilmen Geo. Neeting Elected 127 35.4% N/A Nay
Edward Wright (X) Elected 131 36.5% +5%
Absent
James Myers Lost 101 28.1% +4.4%
N/A
St. Patrick's Ward
Position Candidate Votes  % ± Vote for Mayor
Aldermen John Beverley Robinson Elected 279 47.3% Candidate
Johnathan Dunn (X) Elected 171 29.0% -21.7% Yea
Adam Wilson (X) Lost 140 23.7% -25.6%
N/A
Councilmen T. Shortis Elected 231 40.4% N/A Yea
Theophilus Earls (X) Elected 206 36.0% -6.9% Yea
Reeves Lost 135 23.6% N/A
N/A

References
  1. Russell, Victor Loring, ed. (1984). Forging a consensus : historical essays on Toronto. Victor Loring Russell, Toronto. Sesquicentennial Board. Toronto: Published for the Toronto Sesquicentennial Board by University of Toronto Press. p. 100. ISBN 978-1-4875-8021-6. OCLC 988215315.
  2. "Mr St. Germain's Address: To the Electors of St. James' Ward". The Globe (1844-1936). December 28, 1855. p. 3.
  3. Goheen, Peter G. (2000). "The Struggle for Urban Public Space: Disposing of the Toronto Waterfront in the Nineteenth Century". In Murphy, Alexander B.; Johnson, Douglas L.; Haarman, Viola (eds.). Cultural Encounters with the Environment : Enduring and Evolving Geographic Themes. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. pp. 60–66. ISBN 0-7425-0105-1.
  4. "The Grand Trunk Railway Entering the City". The Globe (1844-1936). November 21, 1855. p. 1108.
  5. "Special Meeting of City Council: Settlement of the Esplanade Difficulty". The Globe (1844-1936). January 14, 1856. p. 2.
  6. "The Mayoralty". The Globe. January 16, 1856. p. 2.
  7. "City Council Proceedings - Election of Mayor". The Globe. January 22, 1856. p. 2.
  8. "The Mayoralty: Infamous Conduct of the Grand Trunk Company". The Globe. January 19, 1856. p. 2.
  9. "The City Election". The Globe (1844-1936). January 7, 1856. p. 2.
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