1.
Edmonton City Council
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The Edmonton City Council is the governing body of the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Members represent wards throughout the city, and are known as councillors, until 2010, Edmonton was divided in six wards with two councillors representing citizens in each ward. On July 22,2009, City Council voted to change the system of six wards to a system of 12 wards, each represented by a single councillor. City Councils current membership was elected in 2013 and will serve until the 2017 election, amarjeet Sohi was ward 12 councillor until November 2015, when he was elected Member of Parliament for Edmonton Mill Woods in the 2015 Canadian federal election. Mohinder Banga succeeded him for ward 12, in 1980, Edmonton adopted a ward system in which two councillors would be elected from each of six wards. In 1971, Edmonton adopted a system in which three aldermen would be elected from each of four wards. In 1968 Albertas legislation changed to require elections every three years in all of the provinces municipalities, in 1964 Edmonton unstaggered its terms for city officials, meaning that elections were held only every two years. Additionally, all became elected at-large and two new aldermanic positions were added, bringing the total to twelve. In preparation for this, in 1963 the mayor and all positions up for re-election were elected to one-year terms. In 1947, the mayor began to be elected for a two-year term, the aldermanic positions remained split by the North Saskatchewan River, and in 1961 the number of aldermen on the south side increased from three to four. The council continued to be elected on staggered two-year terms, in 1933, a number of aldermanic positions were reserved for the south side of the North Saskatchewan River. It was one until 1935, two until 1936, and three thereafter, aldermen continued to be elected on staggered two-year terms, but the mayor was elected for a one-year term. In 1924, city council returned to a system whereby all aldermen were elected at-large and they continued to be elected on staggered two-year terms, and there continued to be ten of them. The mayor continued to be elected annually, and aldermen continued to be elected to staggered two-year terms, Edmonton was incorporated as a city in 1904. The size of council was set at eight alderman plus the mayor, with the mayor being elected annually and the aldermen being elected on staggered two-year terms. The Edmonton Town Council was the body of Edmonton, Northwest Territories, from 1892 until 1904, when Edmonton was incorporated as a city. Throughout its history it included a mayor and six aldermen, the mayor was elected annually throughout the towns history, but beginning in 1898 they were elected to staggered two-year terms, with half of them elected each year. The mayor and aldermen were elected annually from 1892 to 1898, City of Edmonton official site Listing of city ward election maps, and bylaw 15142
2.
William Thomas Henry
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William Thomas Henry was a politician, real estate agent and businessman in Alberta, Canada. He served numerous years on Edmonton City Council as an Alderman from 1900 to 1902 and he also served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1924 to 1926 sitting with the Liberal caucus. Henry was born in Prince Edward Island January 2,1872 and he moved to Calgary, Alberta in 1890 and entered the dry goods business. Three years later, he moved to Edmonton and opened W. T. Henry, clothing, Boots and Shoes which outfitted parties going to the Klondike Gold Rush. In 1903 Henry left the business and went into real estate for three years before partnering with James Blowey to form Blowey, Henry Ltd. a wholesale. Henry sought election to the Edmonton Town Council as an alderman in 1896 but was defeated, Henry was more successful in his next second attempt to run for municipal council. He was elected to a term as alderman in the 1900 election. He completed his term in 1902, but did not seek re-election, the 1914 municipal election would see Henry return to municipal politics. He stood for Mayor and was elected handily defeating Joseph Adair in a landslide, Henry was returned by acclamation to mayoralty in the 1915 election. The election held in 1916 would be contested, Henry easily defeated future mayor Joseph Clarke with another landslide majority. Mayor Henry did not seek re-election in the 1917 election, Henry ran for a seat to the Alberta Legislature, seeking election as a Liberal candidate in the 1917 Alberta general election. He ran in the riding of West Edmonton but was defeated by Conservative incumbent Albert Ewing in a hotly contested two way race, Henry ran for his second time in a by-election held on in the Edmonton electoral district caused by John Boyles appointment as a judge. Two years later he sought re-election in the 1926 election, but finished fifteenth of twenty-three candidates, Henry took his company Henry Ltd. s out of the retail furniture business, Henry co-founded Henry, Graham and Reid in 1931. He also served as chairman of the Edmonton Hospital Board, and was a member of the Masonic Order, the Edmonton Board of Trade, the Methodist Church, battrick, with whom he had four children. Henry Avenue in Edmonton is named in his honour
3.
Joseph Morris (Alberta politician)
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Joseph Henry Morris was a politician and municipal councillor in Edmonton, Alberta. Morris was born in Blenheim, Ontario on July 12,1868 and he attended public schools in Ontario, and moved to Medicine Hat, Alberta upon graduating. He relocated to Lethbridge shortly thereafter, in Lethbridge, he was manager for general merchant J. H. Cavanagh until 1895 and also served on the Lethbridge City Council as an alderman and as president of the Lethbridge Board of Trade. He married Margaret Drummond Jardine in June 1895, the pair would have four children and he came to Edmonton in 1897 to open J. H. Morris & Company. The following year he established a wholesale grocery. He ran for Edmonton Town Council in the 1900 municipal election and he completed his term, but did not seek re-election at its expiration. Morris served as president of the Edmonton Board of Trade and the Edmonton Exhibition Association and he was also active in the Anglican Church, the Masonic Order, and the Independent Order of Foresters. Joseph Morris was the owner of Edmontons first automobile, a 1903 Ford Model A that he brought to town on May 25,1904, accordingly, he was granted license place number one. According to legend, until 1905 motorists in what would become Alberta were responsible for making their own license plates, whether the legend is true or not, in 1905 Morris was issued with a leather license plate with the number one. Edmonton Public Library biography of Joseph Morris City of Edmonton biography of Joseph Morris Remarks of Alain Batty at the Ford centennial celebrations in Edmonton
4.
Henry Goodridge (Alberta politician)
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Henry Goodridge was a politician and municipal councillor in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Goodridge first came to Edmonton in 1874 with a troop of soldiers and he returned two years later to become the first white settler in the area that is now Jasper Place. He homesteaded and farmed near what is now Stony Plain for many years and he married D. S. McKay, the two would have six sons. In 1899, Goodridge was appointed as an alderman to Edmonton Town Council to replace Kenneth W. MacKenzie, Goodridge was re-elected in the 1900 election, in which he placed third of eight candidates, but resigned in 1901. In the 1901 election, he was elected to complete the term to which he had originally been elected and he did not seek re-election at the conclusion of that term in 1902. In 1908, Goodridge moved to Entwistle, Alberta to operate a lumber business and he retired in 1913, and died of a stroke February 25 of the following year. Edmonton Public Library biography of Henry Goodridge City of Edmonton biography of Henry Goodridge Real Estate Weekly history of Jasper Place
5.
William Short (Alberta politician)
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William Short was a politician in Alberta, Canada and a two time mayor of Edmonton. Short was born July 11,1866 near Elora, Ontario and he articled to James Alexander Lougheed from 1891 until 1894, when he was called to the provincial bar. That year, he moved to Edmonton and opened a law practice partnering with Charles Cross in 1900 to form Short & Cross. He married Henrietta McMaster on February 7,1900, the pair would have one son, in 1899, Short was elected to sit as a public school trustee, which he did until he was acclaimed as mayor during the 1901 election. He faced no opposition to his bid in 1902. This allowed him to be mayor when Edmontons status changed from town to city in 1904 and he did not seek re-election in the 1904 election. During this first stint as mayor, Short oversaw the extension of the railroad to the side of the North Saskatchewan River in 1902. He returned to the mayoralty in December 1912 by defeating two candidates, including future mayor Joseph Clarke and his re-election bid in 1913 was foiled by William McNamara, making him the first mayor in Edmontons history to lose a re-election bid. After this defeat, Short did not return to politics, William Short was active with the Masons, the Edmonton Board of Trade, and the Conservative Party of Alberta. He was also an enthusiastic motorist and owned one of Edmontons first automobiles, William Short Road in Edmonton is named in his honour
6.
Cornelius Gallagher (Canadian politician)
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Cornelius Gallagher was a meat merchant and politician in Alberta, Canada. He served as a councillor and briefly as the third mayor of Edmonton. Gallagher was born in New Brunswick in 1854, the son of an Irish immigrant father, after attending the schools of his birthplace, he moved west to Winnipeg with his family, and became involved in the family meat packing business, established by his father. After his contracts expired there, Gallagher would move further west, to Edmonton. In Edmonton he established the towns largest meat packing business, upon land atop the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. He would also get involved with the local politics, sitting on the Edmonton Town Council in the 1890s. In 1896, after the incumbent mayor had resigned, the council selected Gallagher to briefly be the interim mayor until an election was held later that year. He served one more term, but retired after defeat in the 1903 and 1907 elections. In 1911, he would retire from his meat business. In retirement, Gallagher lived on an estate on land he owned atop the Edmonton River Valley until his death in 1932. Gallagher was born on December 31,1854 in Saint John, New Brunswick to Patrick and his father, Patrick came to Canada from Ireland at the age of 14, and worked in the meat industry, being a wholesale meat merchant and meat packer. His mother was a native of Saint John, Cornelius Gallagher would attend schooling during the 1870s in his hometown, later joining his father in his meat business. When his father relocated to Winnipeg in 1877, he established a wholesale and retail distribution business, P. Gallagher and Son. Cornelius Gallagher in 1888 moved to Battleford, North-West Territory in 1888, there, he was on a contract to supply troops stationed in the aftermath of the suppression of the North-West Rebellion. In 1889, he moved south to Regina, where his business, Childs & Gallagher and he remained there for two years, until 1891, when his contract with the Mounties expired. In 1891, Gallagher relocated, this time to Edmonton, also located in the then-Northwest Territories and he had been intrigued with the fact that majority of the territorys wheat and vegetable crops came from the Edmonton area, and scenting a business opportunity, decided to settle there. It contained rooms for slaughtering the animals, storage, butchering and he would operate the establishment until his retirement in 1911. He also had interests in the industry, founding and serving as president of a local brick company
7.
Edmund Grierson
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Edmund Edward DeLesert Grierson was a politician in Alberta, Canada and a municipal councillor in Edmonton. Grierson was born in Cavan, Ontario on April 2,1860 and he left home when he was eleven years old and worked a variety of jobs in western Ontario until 1878. He worked for the Canadian Anthacite Coal Company for eight years and he came to Edmonton in 1893 and purchased the Queens Hotel with business partner Fred Jackson. He managed it for three years before buying the Alberta Hotel in 1897, on to which he added an addition made it the first four-storey structure in Edmonton. He first ran for office in the 1901 Edmonton election, when he was elected to a term as alderman on Edmonton Town Council. He was re-elected in the 1903 election, finishing second of nine candidates, in 1904, Grierson married Lola Booth. The couple moved to Victoria, British Columbia in 1909, edmund Grierson died March 4,1922. Grierson Hill in Edmonton is named in his honour
8.
Phillip Heiminck
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Phillip Heimink was a politician in Alberta, Canada and a municipal councillor in Edmonton. Heiminck was born in Simcoe, Ontario, and moved to Winnipeg in 1870, there he married Isabella Green in 1873 and was involved in mercantilism before moving to Edmonton in 1881. In 1883 he moved to Fort Saskatchewan for ten years, returning to Edmonton in 1893, upon his return, he engaged in real estate, building among other things the so-called Heiminck Block in downtown Edmonton. He first ran for office in the 1897 municipal election, running for alderman on the Edmonton Town Council and he was defeated, finishing seventh of nine candidates in a race in which the top six were elected. He was finally elected to a two year term in the 1903 election and he did not seek re-election at its conclusion. Phillip Heiminck died September 11,1922 and he was survived by his wife, one son, and two daughters. Edmonton Public Library biography of Phillip Heiminck City of Edmonton biography of Phillip Heiminck
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Thomas Bellamy
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Thomas Bellamy was a politician in Alberta, Canada and a municipal councillor in Edmonton. Bellamy was born at Canada West, which would later be the province of Ontario, the son of an English immigrant, he entered the woodworking industry after finishing school. After returning to farming briefly, he moved to Manitoba where established an agricultural product dealing business, involved with civic affairs upon his arrival in Edmonton, Bellamy would serve terms on the school board, and eventually city council, being first elected in 1895. He also would be elected to again in 1904,1907,1911 and 1916. During his time on council, he was a supporter of municipal ownership and he also worked to change taxation policies to lessen the burden on the citizens of the city. He would stand as a candidate for mayor on three occasions, in 1906,1908 and 1917, unsuccessful on each occasion. Upon his defeat in his bid for mayor in 1917. Bellamy Hill in Edmontons downtown core is named after him, Bellamy was born in Durham County, Canada West in 1853, to George and Elizabeth Bellamy. He was of English descent, his father was a farmer originally England, Thomas Bellamy attended schools in his hometown, where he would also take a course in business. He then entered the industry, moving to Guelph. In Bowmanville he apprenticed in a manufacturing business. After a short time there, he would return to his familys farm in his birthplace as his health became impaired. Bellamy farmed with his family until 1881, when he moved west to Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, where he established an agricultural supply business. He remained there until mid-1883, when he became an agent of an agricultural producer, A. Harris, Son, and Company. He was transferred to Winnipeg in 1890, and lived there until he moved to Edmonton in 1892 where he selected a new office for the company, located on Howard and Jasper Avenue. In Edmonton, Bellamy remained with the company, now the newly amalgamated firm of the Massey Harris Company and he established the Bellamy Company, producers of agricultural products such as implements, wagons and carriages, in Edmonton in 1896. In addition, he sold seeds, also introducing lilacs to the city and he was also involved with the Edmonton Printing and Publishing Company. During his time in Edmonton he would establish himself as one of the citys most prominent businessmen, Bellamy was first involved in Edmonton politics when served on the public school board as a trustee in 1893
10.
Matthew McCauley (politician)
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Matthew McCauley was the first mayor of the city of Edmonton, and a member of the legislative assemblies of both the Northwest Territories and Alberta. McCauley was born into a family in what would become the province of Ontario to an Irish father. His restless nature and desire for adventure led him to travel west to Manitoba, in Manitoba, he established a livery business, which he ran until he set off for Edmonton in 1879. He farmed for two years in Fort Saskatchewan before finally moving to Edmonton, where he established the settlements first livery and cartage business. Along with a couple prominent Edmonton citizens, he formed an association aimed to restore order in the area, settling many disputes and he soon established a school board, recognizing the need for a school, which he served as president and trustee for 18 years. Shortly before Edmonton was incorporated as a town in 1892, he formed the Board of Trade, upon the incorporation, he was acclaimed the towns first mayor in 1892, and the next two following years. He did not run for re-election at the end of his term, opting to run for the seat representing Edmonton on the Territorial Legislature. Following his defeat moved to Tofield, Alberta farm until 1905, the following year, he resigned his seat to serve as the first warden of the provinces first penitentiary. After five years as warden, he moved to British Columbia to fruit farm, but he moved back to Sexsmith, Alberta 13 years later to farm, Matthew McCauley was born July 11,1850 in Owen Sound, Ontario to Alexander and Eleanor McCauley. His father Alexander was an Irish immigrant who was born in Antrim and he moved to Canada at the age of five, and went on to become a successful farmer. Though his early years were described as him being a farm boy of the time. McCauley established a business, the first of the kind in Fort Garry. He married Matilda Benson of Sarnia, Ontario in 1875, and resided in Fort Garry with her for the four years. After growing restless in Winnipeg in 1879, McCauley sold his business and traveled west, McCauley arrived in Edmonton in the fall of 1879 after 21 days of travelling by ox cart. He purchased a farm in Fort Saskatchewan the following spring, in Edmonton, he opened the towns first livery and cartage business, the Edmonton Cartage Company, and a butcher shop in 1883. McCauley arrived in Edmonton at the time of what has been described one of the biggest conflicts ever, people attracted to the area were unable to afford land, and therefore built shacks. As more claim-jumpers moved in, it was requested that they move three or four miles outwards, but they refused, McCauley sent many urgent messages to Ottawa to settle the dispute in a civil manner, but to no avail. As captain, McCauley tried hard to settle the dispute and reach a compromise with the claim-jumpers who had no desire for a peaceful settlement and he was involved in a brief altercation with a claim jumper whom he approached and ordered to move
11.
Kenneth McLeod
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Kenneth Archibald McLeod, was a politician in Alberta, Canada and a municipal councillor in Edmonton. He was also the builder of the McLeod Building, the Edmontons first skyscraper, McLeod was born September 7,1858 in Port Elgin, Ontario. His family moved to Kansas in 1870 and homesteaded near Solomon three years before moving to Lynchburg, Virginia, McLeod worked with his father in the lumber and construction businesses. In 1879, he moved to Winnipeg, where he stayed for two years before setting out for Edmonton August 5,1881. His journey was on foot, in the company of two men with three oxen, three Red River carts, a buckboard, and a pony. After ninety-one days of travel, he arrived in Edmonton November 3, in Edmonton, he worked as a carpenter and builder until 1888. In 1893, he opened the first sash and door factory and planing mill in the city, also in 1893, he built Fire Hall No. 1, which served as home to the fire brigade, police department, town offices. McLeod entered municipal politics in 1893 by running for alderman on the Edmonton Town Council and he was elected, finishing second of nine candidates in a race in which the top six were elected. He did not seek re-election in 1894, but returned to council in 1896 and he was re-elected in 1897 and 1898, when he was one of three candidates elected to a two-year term as part of Edmontons plans to stagger aldermanic terms. He did not seek re-election when this term expired in 1900 and he finished third of seventeen candidates in this election and was elected to a two-year term, but resigned in 1905. He did not return to political life thereafter, in addition to his municipal activities, McLeod sat on the public school board from 1901 until 1905. In 1912, McLeod announced the construction of the nine storey McLeod building, modeled after Spokanes Polson Building, it was completed in 1915 at a cost of six hundred thousand dollars. It required twelve hundred tons of steel, primarily because McLeod insisted on building it with large enough for a fifty storey building. It was the first building in Edmonton to be wired with conduits, in 1894, McLeod married Anne Logar Lauder, the couple had nine children before she died in 1927. McLeod was active with the Freemasons, the Edmonton Board of Trade, the Presbyterian Church, in 1930 McLeod retired to Vancouver, British Columbia, where he remarried. Edmonton Public Library biography of Kenneth McLeod City of Edmonton biography of Kenneth McLeod History of the McLeod Building
