York South (federal electoral district)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
York South
Ontario electoral district
Defunct federal electoral district
LegislatureHouse of Commons
District created1903
District abolished1966
First contested1904
Last contested1965

York South was an electoral district (or "riding") in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1904 to 1979.

The riding is notable for the 1942 federal by-election in which newly elected Conservative leader Arthur Meighen was defeated in his attempt to win a seat in the House of Commons by the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation's (CCF) candidate (assisted by the Liberals). The election was a major breakthrough for the CCF, and ended Meighen's attempt to return to politics. In later years, it became known as perennial leaders' riding, the home district for both CCF and New Democratic Party (NDP) leaders Ted Jolliffe, Donald C. MacDonald, David Lewis and Bob Rae.

History[edit]

York South was created in 1903 as "the south riding of York" from parts of York East and York West ridings. It initially consisted of the township of York, and the towns of East Toronto, North Toronto, and Toronto Junction. As is suggested by the names of the towns in the riding, the constituency abutted on the city of Toronto's northern border.

In 1914, it was called "South York", and redefined to consist of the villages of Richmond Hill and Markham, the township of Markham, the town of Leaside, and the township of York (excluding parts included in the riding of West York); and those portions of the city of Toronto not included in the ridings of West York, Parkdale, North Toronto, East Toronto, Centre Toronto, West Toronto, South Toronto and East York. In 1924, it was called "York South", and consisted of all that part of the county of York lying east of Yonge Street, south of the township of Markham and outside the city of Toronto.

In 1933, York South was defined to consist of all that portion of the township of York not included in the electoral district of West York, the town of Weston and the village of Forest Hill. From 1947, it consisted of the village of Forest Hill and a portion of the township of York. In 1952, it consisted the village of Forest Hill and a re-defined portion of the township of York.

As time progressed and the population grew, the riding shrank in size so that it consisted of what was later called the Borough of York in the middle western part of Metropolitan Toronto and some surrounding areas. While it was originally a largely rural riding it was an urban, working class riding by the end of World War II.

The electoral district was abolished in 1976 when the main part of the riding became York South—Weston, and other parts were redistributed between Davenport, Eglinton—Lawrence and St. Paul's ridings.

Members of Parliament[edit]

This riding elected the following members of the House of Commons of Canada:

Parliament Years Member Party
Riding created from York East and York West
10th  1904–1908     William Findlay Maclean Independent Conservative
11th  1908–1911
12th  1911–1917
13th  1917–1921     Government (Unionist)
14th  1921–1925     Independent Conservative
15th  1925–1926
16th  1926–1930     Robert Henry McGregor Conservative
17th  1930–1935
18th  1935–1940 Earl Lawson (politician)
19th  1940–1942     Alan Cockeram National Government
 1942–1945     Joseph W. Noseworthy Co-operative Commonwealth
20th  1945–1949     Alan Cockeram Progressive Conservative
21st  1949–1953     Joseph W. Noseworthy Co-operative Commonwealth
22nd  1953–1956†
23rd  1957–1958     William George Beech Progressive Conservative
24th  1958–1962
25th  1962–1963     David Lewis New Democratic
26th  1963–1965     Marvin Gelber Liberal
27th  1965–1968     David Lewis New Democratic
28th  1968–1972
29th  1972–1974
30th  1974–1979     Ursula Appolloni Liberal
Riding dissolved into York South—Weston, St. Paul's, Davenport
and Eglinton—Lawrence

Election results[edit]

South riding of York[edit]

1904 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes
  Independent Conservative William Findlay Maclean 2,418
  Unknown Alexander J. Anderson 1,790
1908 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes
  Independent Conservative William Findlay Maclean acclaimed
1911 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes
  Independent Conservative William Findlay Maclean 7,194
  Unknown Louis Franklin Heyd 1,901

South York[edit]

1917 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes
  Government (Unionist) William Findlay Maclean 16,088
  Opposition (Laurier Liberals) Alexander MacGregor 2,065
  Labour James Thomas Gunn 1,977
  Unknown John Galbraith 118
1921 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes
  Independent Conservative William Findlay Maclean 10,368
  Liberal Alexander MacGregor 8,015
Progressive Roland Hill Palmer 3,276

York South[edit]

1925 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes
  Independent Conservative William Findlay MacLean 7,762
  Liberal Russell James Reesor 1,394
  Independent Conservative John Galbraith 990
1926 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes
  Conservative Robert Henry McGregor 6,555
  Independent Conservative William Findlay MacLean 4,880
1930 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes
  Conservative Robert Henry McGregor 11,852
  Liberal Dennis McCarthy 5,394
1935 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes
  Conservative Earl Lawson 11,596
  Co-operative Commonwealth Luke Teskey 8,247
  Liberal Elmore Philpott 7,059
Reconstruction Earl M. Hand 4,113
1940 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes
  National Government Alan Cockeram 15,346
  Liberal F. J. MacRae 12,864
  Co-operative Commonwealth Joseph W. Noseworthy 5,372

By-election: On Mr. Cockeram's resignation to allow Arthur Meighen to contest the seat:

By-election on 9 February 1942
Party Candidate Votes
  Co-operative Commonwealth Joseph W. Noseworthy 16,408
  Conservative Arthur Meighen 11,952
1945 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes
  Progressive Conservative Alan Cockeram 16,666
  Co-operative Commonwealth Joseph W. Noseworthy 13,543
  Liberal John Harvey Lynes 9,104
Labor–Progressive Walter E. Dent 1,089
1949 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes
  Co-operative Commonwealth Joseph W. Noseworthy 15,293
  Progressive Conservative Alan Cockeram 14,273
  Liberal Eric R. Marsden 11,932
1953 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes
  Co-operative Commonwealth Joseph W. Noseworthy 12,216
  Liberal Alfred Green 10,820
  Progressive Conservative Alan Cockeram 10,116
Labor–Progressive Norman Penner 755
1957 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes
  Progressive Conservative William George Beech 16,624
  Liberal Marvin Gelber 12,232
  Co-operative Commonwealth William Sefton 12,024
Social Credit Sloan A. Smith 654
1958 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes
  Progressive Conservative William George Beech 22,980
  Liberal Marvin Gelber 13,141
  Co-operative Commonwealth Bill Sefton 9,643
Labor–Progressive Leslie Morris 427
Social Credit Harvey Jamieson 258
1962 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes
  New Democratic David Lewis 19,101
  Liberal Marvin Gelber 15,423
  Progressive Conservative William George Beech 12,552
Social Credit Reinald Nochakoff 179
1963 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes
  Liberal Marvin Gelber 21,042
  New Democratic David Lewis 17,396
  Progressive Conservative William George Beech 9,648
1965 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes
  New Democratic David Lewis 21,693
  Liberal Marvin Gelber 18,098
  Progressive Conservative Maxwell Rotstein 6,427
1968 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes
  New Democratic David Lewis 12,357
  Liberal Ron Barbaro 11,693
  Progressive Conservative Cy Townsend 4,499
1972 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes
  New Democratic David Lewis 14,225
  Liberal Lucio Appolloni 9,551
  Progressive Conservative John Oostrom 6,401
  Unknown Keith Corkhill 172


1974 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes %
Liberal Ursula Appolloni 12,485 43.10
New Democratic David Lewis 10,622 36.67
Progressive Conservative Paul J. Schrieder 5,557 19.18
Independent Richard Sanders 103 0.04
Marxist–Leninist Keith Corkhill 102 0.04
Independent Robert Douglas Sproule 97 0.03

References[edit]