1944 Edmonton municipal election
The 1944 municipal election was held November 1, 1944 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. This was the first election to be held on the first Wednesday of November rather than the second Wednesday, in order to avoid future conflicts with the Armistice Day holiday, as happened in 1936 and 1942.
There were ten aldermen on city council, but five of the positions were already filled: James McCrie Douglas (SS), Harry Ainlay (SS), Winslow Hamilton, Charles Gariepy, and Melvin Downey (SS) were all elected to two-year terms in 1943 and were still in office. Southside (SS) representation was guaranteed - two councillors had to come from the southside. This requirement was dropped in 1961.[1]
There were seven trustees on the public school board, but four of the positions were already filled: Albert Ottewell (SS), Bertram Robertson, Frank Newson, and Roy Sutherland had been elected to two-year terms in 1943 and were still in office. The same was true of the separate board, where William Wilde (SS), Joseph Gallant, Thomas Malone, and J O Pilon were continuing.
Voter turnout[edit]
There were 9,948 ballots cast out of 61,033 eligible voters, for a voter turnout of 16.4%.
Results[edit]
- bold or
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[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | John Wesley Fry | 7,017 | 71.12% | |
| Independent | Rice Sheppard | 2,850 | 28.88% | |
Aldermen[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Elected | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citizens' Committee | Sidney Bowcott | 6,597 | 
| ||
| Citizens' Committee | Athelstan Bissett | 6,317 | SS |
| |
| Citizens' Committee | Sidney Parsons | 6,094 |
| ||
| Citizens' Committee | James Ogilvie | 5,916 |
| ||
| Citizens' Committee | Frederick John Mitchell | 5,532 |
| ||
| Independent | Gwendolen Clarke | 3,420 | |||
| Co-operative Commonwealth Federation | Margaret Thompson | 2,311 | |||
| Co-operative Commonwealth Federation | Edith Rogers | 2,298 | |||
| Co-operative Commonwealth Federation | Alfred Gregory | 2,273 | |||
| Co-operative Commonwealth Federation | Howard Smith | 2,015 | |||
| Co-operative Commonwealth Federation | Robert Haskins | 1,944 | |||
| Independent | Jan Lakeman | 1,585 | |||
Public school trustees[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Elected | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citizens' Committee | Izena Ross | 5,593 |
| ||
| Citizens' Committee | George Cormie | 5,255 |
| ||
| Citizens' Committee | Alex Gemeroy | 5,143 |
| ||
| Co-operative Commonwealth Federation | Mary Butterworth | 3,371 | SS | ||
| Co-operative Commonwealth Federation | William Thornton | 2,994 | |||
| Co-operative Commonwealth Federation | Archibald Richardson | 2,888 | |||
Separate (Catholic) school trustees[edit]
Adrian Crowe (SS), Francis Killeen, and James O'Hara were acclaimed.
References[edit]
- ^ "Municipal elections in Edmonton (1892 to 1944)" (PDF). edmonton.ca. pp. 92–93.