List of mayors of Toronto


Below is a list of Mayors of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto's first mayor, William Lyon Mackenzie was appointed in 1834 after his Reform coalition won the new City of Toronto's first election, and Mackenzie was chosen by the Reformers. Toronto's 65th and current mayor, John Tory, took office December 1, 2014.

History

From 1834 to 1857, and again from 1867 to 1873, Toronto mayors were not elected directly by the public. Instead, after each annual election of aldermen and councilmen, the assembled council would elect one of their members as mayor. For all other years, mayors were directly elected by popular vote, except in rare cases where a mayor was appointed by council to fill an unexpired term of office. Prior to 1834, Toronto municipal leadership was governed by the Chairman of the General Quarter Session of Peace of the Home District Council.
Through 1955 the term of office for the mayor and council was one year; it then varied between two and three years until a four-year term was adopted starting in 2006.
The "City of Toronto" has changed substantially over the years: the city annexed or amalgamated with neighbouring communities or areas 49 times from in 1883 to 1967. The most sweeping change was in 1998, when the six municipalities comprising Metropolitan Toronto—East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, York, and the former city of Toronto–and its regional government were amalgamated into a single City of Toronto by an act of the provincial government. The newly created position of mayor for the resulting single-tier mega-city replaced all of the mayors of the former Metro municipalities. It also abolished the office of the Metro Chairman, which had formerly been the most senior political figure in the Metro government before amalgamation.
According to Victor Loring Russell, author of Mayors of Toronto Volume I, 14 out of the first 29 mayors were lawyers. According to Mark Maloney who is writing The History of the Mayors of Toronto, 58 of Toronto's 64 mayors have been Protestant, white, English-speaking, Anglo-Saxon, property-owning males. There have been two women and three Jewish mayors.
Art Eggleton is the longest-serving mayor of Toronto, serving from 1980 until 1991. Eggleton later served in federal politics from 1993 until 2004, and was appointed to the Senate of Canada in 2005. David Breakenridge Read held the post of mayor of Toronto for the shortest period. Read was mayor for only fifty days in 1858.
No Toronto mayor has been removed from office. Toronto's 64th mayor, Rob Ford, lost a conflict of interest trial in 2012, and was ordered to vacate his position; but the ruling was stayed pending an appeal, which Ford won to remain in office. Due to his substance abuse admission and controversy in 2013, Council stripped him of many powers on November 15, transferring them to the deputy mayor. From May until July, 2014, Ford took a leave of absence from the mayoralty to enter drug rehabilitation.

Original City of Toronto era

No.MayorTook officeLeft officePrior political experience
1William Lyon Mackenzie1834 1835Member of the Upper Canada Legislative Assembly for York

Alderman for St. David's Ward
2Robert Baldwin Sullivan1835 1836Alderman for St. David's Ward
3Thomas David Morrison18361837Member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada for 3rd York
Alderman for St Andrew's Ward
4George Gurnett18371838Alderman for St. George's Ward
5John Powell18381841Alderman for St. Andrew's Ward
6George Monro18411842Alderman for St. Lawrence Ward
7Henry Sherwood18421845Member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada for Brockville
Alderman for St. David's Ward
Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada for Toronto
8William H. Boulton18451848Alderman for St. Patrick's Ward
Mayor
Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada for Toronto
–George Gurnett
18481851Alderman for St. George's Ward
9John George Bowes18511854Alderman for St. James's Ward
10Joshua George Beard18541855Alderman for St. Lawrence Ward
Toronto School Board of Trustees
11George William Allan18551856Alderman for St. David Ward
12John Beverley Robinson18561857Alderman for St. Patrick's Ward
13John Hutchison18571858 Alderman for St. James Ward
–William H. Boulton
18581858 Alderman for St. Patrick's Ward
Mayor
Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada for Toronto
Alderman for St. Andrew's Ward
14David Breakenridge Read1858 1858 Alderman for St. Patrick's Ward

No.MayorTook officeLeft officePrior political experience
15 Adam Wilson18591861Alderman for St. Patrick's Ward
–John George Bowes
18611864Alderman for St. James's Ward

Alderman for St. James's Ward and Mayor

Alderman for St. David's Ward
16Francis Henry Medcalf18641867Alderman for St. Lawrence Ward
Alderman for St. David's Ward

No.MayorTook officeLeft officePrior political experience
17James Edward Smith18671869Alderman for St. John's Ward
18Samuel Bickerton Harman18691871Alderman for St Andrew's Ward
19Joseph Sheard18711873Alderman for St. Patrick's Ward
20Alexander Manning18731874Alderman for St. Lawrence Ward

No.MayorTook officeLeft officePrior political experience
–Francis Henry Medcalf
18741875Alderman for St. Lawrence Ward
Alderman for St. David's Ward
Mayor
21Angus Morrison18761878Alderman for St. James
Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada for North Simcoe and Niagara
Member of Parliament
22James Beaty18791880Alderman for St. James's Ward
23William Barclay McMurrich18811882Alderman for St. Patrick's Ward
24Arthur Radcliffe Boswell18831884Alderman for St. George's Ward
–Alexander Manning
18851885Alderman for St. Lawrence Ward
Mayor
25William Holmes Howland18861887President of the Toronto Board of Trade
President of the Dominion Board of Trade
President of the Manufacturers’ Association of Ontario
26Edward Frederick Clarke18881891Member of the Legislative Assembly for Toronto
27Robert John Fleming18921893Alderman for St. David's Ward
28Warring Kennedy18941895Alderman for St. John's Ward
–Robert John Fleming
18961897 Alderman for St. David's Ward
Mayor
29John Shaw1897 1899Alderman for St. Paul's Ward
30Ernest A. Macdonald19001900Alderman for St. Matthew's Ward
31Oliver Aiken Howland19011902Member of the Legislative Assembly for Toronto South
32Thomas Urquhart19031905Alderman for Ward 4
33Emerson Coatsworth19061907Member of Parliament for Toronto East
Alderman
34Joseph Oliver19081909Toronto School Board Trustee
Alderman
35George Reginald Geary19101912 Toronto School Board Trustee
Alderman
Toronto Board of Control
36Horatio C. Hocken19121914Toronto Board of Control
37Thomas Langton Church19151921Toronto School Board Trustee
Alderman for Ward 2
Toronto Board of Control
38Charles A. Maguire19221923Alderman for Ward 3
Toronto Board of Control
39W. W. Hiltz19241924Toronto School Board Trustee

Alderman for Ward 1
Toronto Board of Control
40Thomas Foster19251927Alderman for St. David Ward
Alderman for Ward 2
Toronto Board of Control
41Sam McBride19281929Alderman for Ward 3
Toronto Board of Control
Alderman for Ward 4
Toronto Board of Control
42Bert Sterling Wemp19301930Toronto School Board Trustee
Alderman for Ward 2
Toronto Board of Control
43William James Stewart19311934Alderman for Ward 5
44James Simpson19351935Toronto School Board Trustee
Toronto Board of Control
–Sam McBride
19361936 Alderman for Ward 3
Toronto Board of Control
Alderman for Ward 4
Mayor
45William D. Robbins1936 1937Alderman for Ward 1
Toronto Board of Control
46Ralph C. Day19381940Alderman for Ward 1
Toronto Board of Control
47Frederick J. Conboy19411944Alderman for Ward 6
Toronto Board of Control
48Robert Hood Saunders19451948 Alderman for Ward 4
Toronto Board of Control
49Hiram E. McCallum19481951Alderman for Ward 8
Toronto Board of Control

The Metro Toronto era (1953–97)

From 1953, Toronto was part of a federated municipality known as Metropolitan Toronto. This regional entity had the same boundaries as present-day Toronto, but consisted of the City of Toronto and 12 other municipalities, each with its own mayor and council. From 1953 to 1997, the most senior political figure in the Metropolitan Toronto government was the Chairman of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto. In 1967,, an internal amalgamation eliminated the seven smallest municipalities in Metropolitan Toronto. Of these, the villages of Forest Hill and Swansea were amalgamated into the City of Toronto.
No.MayorTook officeLeft officePrior political experienceDeputy Mayor
50January 1, 1952June 28, 1954Alderman for Ward 2
MPP for St. David
Ward 3
Toronto Board of Control 		N/A
51June 28, 1954December 31, 1954Alderman in North Bay
Toronto School Trustee
Alderman for Ward 1
Toronto Board of Control 		Nathan Phillips
52January 1, 1955December 31, 1962Alderman for Ward 4 N/A
53January 1, 1963November 19, 1963 Alderman for Ward 8
Toronto Board of Control 		Philip Givens
54November 19, 1963 December 31, 1966Alderman for Ward 5
Toronto Board of Control
President of City Council 		Allan Lamport
55January 1, 1967December 31, 1972Toronto School Trustee
Alderman for Ward 2
MPP for St. David
Toronto Board of Control 		N/A
56January 1, 1973August 31, 1978Alderman for Ward 11 Fred Beavis
57September 1, 1978November 30, 1978Alderman for Ward 1 Anne Johnston
58December 1, 1978November 30, 1980Alderman for Ward 7 Art Eggleton
59December 1, 1980November 30, 1991Alderman for Ward 4 N/A
60December 1, 1991November 30, 1994Alderman/City Councillor for Ward 10
Chairman of the Toronto Police Commission
61December 1, 1994December 31, 1997City Councillor for Ward 7 N/A

Post-amalgamation era

As of 1998, Metropolitan Toronto and all its constituent municipalities were amalgamated into a single City of Toronto. Under the City of Toronto Act, 2006, the Mayor is the head of council and the chief executive officer of the City.
The deputy mayor is appointed by the mayor from among the elected members of the City Council. The deputy mayor acts in place of the mayor whenever the incumbent is unable to be present to perform his normal functions and duties, assists the mayor, and serves as vice-chair of the city council's executive committee.
On November 18, 2013, city council removed most powers from the office of mayor for the term of the current Council, including chairing the executive committee. These powers were given to the office of the deputy mayor, held by Norm Kelly at the time of the motion. The action occurred after Mayor Rob Ford admitted to drug abuse. On May 1, 2014, Ford started a leave of absence for drug rehabilitation. Kelly took over the remainder of the Mayoral duties and powers at that time. When Rob Ford returned on July 1, he once again returned to having the duties he had immediately prior to the leave.
No.MayorTerms of officeTook officeLeft officePrior political experienceDeputy Mayor
622January 1, 1998November 30, 2003North York Board of Control
Mayor of North York
Metro Councillor 		Case Ootes
632December 1, 2003November 30, 2010Metro Councillor for High Park,
City Councillor for Ward 19 ,
City Councillor for Ward 13 		Joe Pantalone
641December 1, 2010November 30, 2014City Councillor for Ward 2
652December 1, 2014IncumbentLeader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
MPP for Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey

Living former mayors

As of April 2020, there are six living former mayors of Toronto:
Rob Ford and June Rowlands are the most recent Mayors to have died, and Ford was the first of the post-amalgamation Mayors of Toronto to die.

Post-Mayoral honours

A few former mayors have been honoured with places, things or buildings named in their honour. Unless otherwise stated the following are all located in Toronto:
Foster's temple was built by him privately and named after his death.