1954 Toronto municipal election
Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on December 6, 1954. Incumbent mayor Leslie Saunders was defeated by Nathan Phillips in a close contest. Toronto mayor. Controller Leslie Saunders had been appointed mayor after the resignation of Allan Lamport, who left to work with the Toronto Transit Commission. He was challenged by Nathan Phillips, a longtime city councilor who had made a previous attempt to win the mayoralty. Phillips was Jewish, a sharp departure from the standard for Toronto mayors, who for decades had been Protestant Orange Order members. Phillips' religion was an important issue  in the election. Saunders publicly proclaimed he was running as "Leslie Saunders, Protestant". Saunders was a leader of the Orange Order and the publisher of the radical monthly newspaper "Protestant Action." His anti-Catholicism and proclamations that Toronto was a "Protestant city" had caused controversy in the past. One of his first acts after ascending to the mayoralty was to issue an official proclamation commemorating The Twelfth, the anniversary of the victory of William of Orange over the Irish. A second controversy arose during the election when Brown released accusation about room 1735 in the Royal York hotel. He argued  that the room was a secret entertainment suite paid for by the city for the use of the mayor. Saunders claims that it was rented by Mayor Lamport and that he was totally unaware of the suite. Nonetheless the scandal hurt his reelection bid. Also running was former school board head Arthur Brown, who had previously come close to defeating Lamport for the job, and who had the support of the "Globe and Mail" newspaper. The "Toronto Star" and the "Telegram" both supported Phillips. Saunders in his memoirs accuses Brown of splitting the "Christian and Gentile vote" and getting Phillips  elected. The fourth candidate was Communist A. A. MacLeod, former Labor-Progressive Party M.P.P in the Ontario legislature for Bellwoods. Board of Control. Saunders' appointment to the mayoralty led to the appointment of Alderman Ross Lipsett to the Board of Control. This controversially passed over former Alderman Joseph Cornish, who had finished fifth in the 1953 election. In the 1954 election, Cornish displaced Lipsett to win the fourth and final seat on the Board. The most senior two Controllers in terms of votes also sat on Metro Toronto Council. 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. Phillips was chosen to become Metro Councillor. Results are taken from the December 7, 1954 "Toronto Star" and might not exactly match final tallies. Suburbs. East York. Source: "East York Returns Reeve for 8th Term", "The Globe and Mail" (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]06 Dec 1954: 1. Etobicoke. Source: "Toronto Daily Star" (1900-1971); Toronto, Ontario [Toronto, Ontario]07 Dec 1954: 7. Forest Hill. Source: "Toronto Daily Star" (1900-1971); Toronto, Ontario [Toronto, Ontario]07 Dec 1954: 7. Leaside. Source: "Weston, Leaside Voters To  Elect 10 Councillors", "The Globe and Mail" (1936-2016); Dec 3, 1954; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: pg. 8 Long Branch. Election occurred on December 11th. Source: "Mrs. Marie Curtis Reeve Again By An Overwhelming Majority", "Toronto Daily Star", December 13, 1954, pg 10 Mimico. Election occurred on December 11th. Source: "Reeve W. Edwards Defeats Mayor Norris At Mimico", "Toronto Daily Star", December 13, 1954, pg 10 Election occurred on December 11th. New Toronto. Source: "Mayor Strath Defeated. D. Russell Easy Winner", "Toronto Daily Star", December 13, 1954, pg 10 North York. Source: "Toronto Daily Star" (1900-1971); Toronto, Ontario [Toronto, Ontario]07  Dec 1954: 7. Scarborough. Source: "Toronto Daily Star" (1900-1971); Toronto, Ontario [Toronto, Ontario]07 Dec 1954: 7. Weston. Source: "Election Returns", The Globe and Mail (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]06 Dec 1954: 32 York. Source: "Election Results", "The Globe and Mail" (1936-2016); Toronto, Ont. [Toronto, Ont]06 Dec 1954: 32.