# 1938 Edmonton municipal election

The 1938 municipal election was held November 9, 1938 to elect a mayor and five aldermen to sit on Edmonton City Council and three trustees to sit on the public school board, while three trustees were acclaimed to the separate school board. Voters also rejected two proposals to borrow money from other levels of government for the construction of new housing.
There were ten aldermen on city council, but five of the positions were already filled: Edward Brown, Frederick Casselman, Douglas Grout (SS), George Campbell, and Dan Knott were all elected to two-year terms in 1937 and were still in office.
There were seven trustees on the public school board, but four of the positions were already filled: Albert Ottewell (SS), Walter Morrish, Sidney Bowcott, and Bruce Smith had been elected to two-year terms in 1937 and were still in office. The same was true on the separate school board, where Hugh Currie, Charles Gariepy, William Wilde (SS), and John Whelihan were continuing.

## Voter turnout

There were 23,599 ballots cast out of 53,848 eligible voters, for a voter turnout of 43.8%.

## Results

* bold or Y indicates elected
* italics indicate incumbent
* "SS", where data is available, indicates representative for Edmonton's South Side, with a minimum South Side representation instituted after the city of Strathcona, south of the North Saskatchewan River, amalgamated into Edmonton on February 1, 1912.

### Mayor

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Citizens' Committee | John Wesley Fry | 12,491 | 53.34% |
| Independent | Joseph Clarke | 5,922 | 25.29% |
| Canadian Labour Party/ Co-operative Commonwealth Federation | Charles Gould | 4,807 | 20.53% |
| Independent | Frederick Speed | 198 | 0.85% |

### Aldermen

| Party | Candidate | Votes | | Elected |
| Citizens' Committee | Hugh MacDonald | 13,424 | | Y |
| Citizens' Committee | Mack McColl | 10,695 | | Y |
| Citizens' Committee | James Ogilvie | 11,893 | | Y |
| Citizens' Committee | Sidney Parsons | 11,354 | | Y |
| Citizens' Committee | Blair Paterson | 11,231 | SS | Y |
| Canadian Labour Party/ Co-operative Commonwealth Federation | Harry Ainlay | 9,876 | SS |
| Progressive | Margaret Crang | 8,664 | SS |
| Canadian Labour Party/ Co-operative Commonwealth Federation | James Findlay | 8,561 |
| Canadian Labour Party/ Co-operative Commonwealth Federation | William Miller | 6,387 |
| Progressive | Elisha East | 6,000 |
| Independent | Sidney Bowcott | 5,083 |
| Independent | M. M. Downey | 2,619 | SS |
| Independent | Raymond C. Ghostley | 2,065 |
The civic Progressive party, with candidates for alderman and public school trustee, represented a "united front" of the Communist Party, the Social Credit movement and other leftist reformers.

### Public school trustees

| Party | Candidate | Votes | | Elected |
| Citizens' Committee | Izena Ross | 11,716 | | Y |
| Citizens' Committee | Armour Ford | 11,189 | | Y |
| Citizens' Committee | W. G. McConachie | 10,520 | | Y |
| Progressive | Frank Crang | 8,171 | SS |
| Canadian Labour Party/ Co-operative Commonwealth Federation | W. H. Thornton | 6,264 |
| Progressive | Mary Ann Gilchrist | 5,141 |
| Canadian Labour Party/ Co-operative Commonwealth Federation | A. Richardson | 3,559 |

### Separate (Catholic) school trustees

Adrien Crowe (SS), James O'Hara, and J O Pilon were acclaimed.

### Plebiscites
#### Low Income Housing

Are you in favour of the city borrowing from the Dominion or Provincial governments, to construct low cost dwelling houses in Edmonton, for rental purposes only, a sum not exceeding $250,000, repayable in from 20 to 35 years, with interest not exceeding two per cent per annum?
* Yes - 2,687
* No - 3,593

#### Regular Housing

Are you in favour of the city borrowing from the Dominion or Provincial governments, for the purpose of loaning to individuals to construct dwelling houses in Edmonton, a sum not exceeding $250,000, repayable in from 20 to 35 years at a rate of interest not exceeding five percent per annum?
* Yes - 2,430
* No - 3,578