Toronto West (federal electoral district)

{{Short description|Former federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada}} {{About|the federal electoral district|the provincial electoral district|Toronto West (provincial electoral district)}}  {{Use Canadian English|date=December 2024}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}} {{Infobox Canada electoral district | province = Ontario | image = File:Toronto Ridings - 1904.PNG | caption = A map of the Toronto ridings of 1904 | fed-status = defunct | fed-district-number = | fed-created = 1867 | fed-abolished = 1924 | fed-election-first = 1867 | fed-election-last = 1921 }}

'''Toronto West''', initially named '''West Toronto,''' was a federal electoral district in the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1925.

== Territorial evoluton == Prior to Confederation, the City of Toronto was divided into two electoral divisions in 1860 along Yonge Street. The west riding, contested in the 1861 and 1863 Province of Canada elections, consisted of St. George's, St. Andrew's, St. Patrick's (three of the five original Toronto city wards) and St. John's (created in 1853 out of St Patrick's) wards of the City of Toronto. The two electoral divisions were adopted by the British North America Act, 1867 for the city, and were contested when the first dominion (federal) election and the first local (provincial) election were held concurrently in 1867.

In 1872, St. John's ward was redistributed from West Toronto to Centre Toronto when Toronto gained a third House of Commons seat. In 1892, West Toronto was given an additional seat in the House of Commons. In the elections held in 1896 and 1900, the district returned two members using plurality block voting.

In 1903, the electoral district was renamed Toronto West. The portion of West Toronto laying south of Queen Street was redistributed to Toronto South, and representation was reduced back to one member.

In 1914, the new district of Parkdale was created out of Toronto West, leaving Toronto West with a substantially reduced area bounded by Queen Street West, Spadina Avenue, Bloor Street West and Dovercourt Road.

The electoral district was abolished in 1924 when it was redistributed to Toronto South and Toronto West Centre ridings. ==Boundaries== <gallery widths=180> Toronto Federal EDs 1860-1872.jpg|1860-1872 Toronto Federal EDs 1872-1903.jpg|1872-1904 File:Toronto_Ridings_-_1904.PNG|1904–1917 </gallery>

==Members of Parliament== Toronto West was represented in the final two parliaments of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada: {| class="wikitable" |{{CanMP}} {{CanMP NoData|{{nobold|''Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada''<br>Created from the electoral division of Toronto}}<br>West Toronto}} |- | {{center|7th}} || 1861–1863 || {{Canadian party colour|CA|Conservative (historical)|background}}| || John Beverley Robinson || Conservative |- | {{center|8th}} || 1863–1867 || {{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal|background}}| || John Macdonald || Reformer {{CanMP end}} |} Upon confederation, Toronto West has elected the following members of parliament: {{CanMP}} {{CanMP NoData|{{nobold|Continued as an existing electoral division from Province of Canada}}<br>West Toronto}} {{CanMP row | FromYr = 1867 | ToYr = 1872 | Assembly# = 1 | CanParty = Conservative (historical) | RepName = Robert Alexander Harrison | PartyTerms# = 2 | RepTerms# = 1 }} {{CanMP row | FromYr = 1872 | ToYr = 1873 | Assembly# = 2 | #ByElections = 1 | RepName = John Willoughby Crawford }} {{CanMP row | FromYr = 1873 | ToYr = 1874 | Assembly# = | RepName = Thomas Moss | CanParty = Liberal | PartyTerms# = 2 | RepTerms# = 2 }} {{CanMP row | FromYr = 1874 | ToYr = 1875 | Assembly# = 3 | #ByElections = 1 }} {{CanMP row | FromYr = 1875 | ToYr = 1878 | CanParty = Conservative (historical) | RepName = John Beverly Robinson | PartyTerms# = 8 | RepTerms# = 2 }} {{CanMP row | FromYr = 1878 | ToYr = 1880 | Assembly# = 4 | #ByElections = 1 }} {{CanMP row | FromYr = 1880 | ToYr = 1882 | RepName = James Beaty Jr. | RepTerms# = 2 }} {{CanMP row | FromYr = 1882 | ToYr = 1887 | Assembly# = 5 }} {{CanMP row | FromYr = 1887 | ToYr = 1891 | Assembly# = 6 | RepName = Frederick Charles Denison | RepTerms# = 2 }} {{CanMP row | FromYr = 1891 | ToYr = 1896 | Assembly# = 7 }} {{CanMP row | FromYr = 1896 | ToYr = 1900 | Assembly# = 8 | RepName = Edmund Boyd Osler &<br>Edward F. Clarke | RepTerms# = 2 }} {{CanMP row | FromYr = 1900 | ToYr = 1904 | Assembly# = 9 }} {{CanMP NoData|Toronto West}} {{CanMP row | FromYr = 1904 | ToYr = 1908 | Assembly# = 10 | RepName = Edmund Boyd Osler | CanParty = Conservative (historical) | RepTerms# = 3 | PartyTerms# = 3 }} {{CanMP row | FromYr = 1908 | ToYr = 1911 | Assembly# = 11 }} {{CanMP row | FromYr = 1911 | ToYr = 1917 | Assembly# = 12 }} {{CanMP row | FromYr = 1917 | ToYr = 1921 | Assembly# = 13 | CanParty = Unionist | RepName = Horatio Clarence Hocken | RepTerms# = 2 }} {{CanMP row | FromYr = 1921 | ToYr = 1925 | Assembly# = 14 | CanParty = Conservative (historical) }} {{CanMP NoData|''Riding dissolved into'' Toronto West Centre ''and'' Toronto South}} {{CanMP end}}

Toronto being a former capital of Upper Canada and the United Province of Canada, and the capital of the largest province of the new nation, it is not surprising that many of its MPs were or became figures of significant prominence. Of the nine individuals who represented Toronto West in Parliament:

* two later later served as Chief Justice of Ontario - Robert Alexander Harrison (1875–78) & Thomas Moss (1878–81) * two later served as Lieutenant Governor of Ontario - John Willoughby Crawford (1873–75) & John Beverley Robinson (1880–87) * four served as Mayor of Toronto - John Beverley Robinson (1856), James Beaty Jr. (1879–80), Edward Frederick Clarke (1888–91), Horatio Clarence Hocken (1912–14) * Edmund Boyd Osler was the founder and benefactor of the Royal Ontario Museum

==Election history== === 1860 boundaries === {{Canadian election result/top|CA|1867}} {{CANelec|CA|Conservative (historical)|'''Robert Alexander Harrison'''|1,477}} {{CANelec|XX|Independent Liberal|John Macdonald|1,048}} {{end}} === On 1872 boundaries === {{Canadian election result/top|CA|1872}} {{CANelec|CA|Conservative (historical)|'''John Crawford'''|1,043}} {{CANelec|XX|Unknown|McLellan|574}} {{CANelec|XX|Unknown|Capreol|0}} {{end}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|December 18, 1873|Toronto West (federal electoral district)|West Toronto|by=yes}} {{CANelec|CA|Liberal|'''Thomas Moss'''|acclaimed}} {{Canadian election result/note|On Mr. Crawford being appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario}} {{end}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|1874}} {{CANelec|CA|Liberal|'''Thomas Moss'''|1,651}} {{CANelec|CA|Conservative (historical)|John Beverly Robinson|1,440}} {{end}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|November 6, 1875|Toronto West (federal electoral district)|West Toronto|by=yes}} {{CANelec|CA|Conservative (historical)|'''John Beverly Robinson'''| 1,935}} {{CANelec|XX|Unknown|John Turner|1,584}} {{Canadian election result/note|On Mr. Moss being appointed Justice of the Court of Appeal of Ontario.}} {{end}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|1878}} {{CANelec|CA|Conservative (historical)|'''John Beverly Robinson'''|2,165}} {{CANelec|XX|Unknown|J. Hodgins|1,528}} {{end}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|by=yes|28 August 1880}} {{CANelec|CA|Conservative (historical)|'''James Beaty, Jr.'''| 2,097}} {{CANelec|XX|Unknown|P. Ryan|1,836}} {{CANelec|XX|Unknown|A.W. Wright|49}} {{CANelec|XX|Unknown|F.C. Capreol|23}} {{Canadian election result/note|On Mr. Robinson's resignation to become Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario}} {{end}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|1882}} {{CANelec|CA|Conservative (historical)|'''James Beaty, Jr.'''|2,714}} {{CANelec|XX|Unknown|William Barclay McMurrich|2,283}} {{end}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|1887}} {{CANelec|CA|Conservative (historical)|'''Frederic C. Denison'''|3,895}} {{CANelec|CA|Liberal|E.E. Sheppard|3,428}} {{end}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|1891}} {{CANelec|CA|Conservative (historical)|'''Frederic C. Denison'''|5,048}} {{CANelec|CA|Liberal|Arthur Mowat|3,291}} {{end}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|1896}} {{CANelec|CA|Conservative (historical)|'''Edmund B. Osler'''|5,370}} {{CANelec|CA|Conservative (historical)|'''Edward Frederick Clarke'''|5,147}} {{CANelec|CA|Liberal|W.T.R. Preston|4,734}} {{CANelec|CA|Liberal|A.T. Hunter|4,225}} {{end}}

{{Canadian election result/top|CA|1900}} {{CANelec|CA|Conservative (historical)|'''Edward F. Clarke'''|7,024}} {{CANelec|CA|Conservative (historical)|'''Edmund B. Osler'''|6,530}} {{CANelec|CA|Liberal|William Burns|4,713}} {{CANelec|CA|Liberal|James D. Allan|4,547}} {{CANelec|XX|Independent|Hugh Stevenson|1,657}} {{end}} === On 1903 boundaries === {{Election box begin | title=1904 Canadian federal election}} |- {{Canadian party colour|CA|PC|row}} |Conservative |Edmund Boyd Osler |align="right"|4,464 {{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal|row}} |Liberal |Alfred Taylour Hunter |align="right"| 2,573 {{end}}

{{Election box begin | title=1908 Canadian federal election}} |- {{Canadian party colour|CA|PC|row}} |Conservative |Edmund Boyd Osler |align="right"| 4,772 {{Canadian party colour|CA|Independent|row}} |Independent |James Hunter Duthie |align="right"|2,419 {{end}}

{{Election box begin | title=1911 Canadian federal election}} |- {{Canadian party colour|CA|PC|row}} |Conservative |Edmund Boyd Osler |align="right"| 11,442 {{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal|row}} |Liberal |Gordon Waldron |align="right"| 3,437 {{end}} === On 1914 boundaries === {{Election box begin | title=1917 Canadian federal election}} |- {{Canadian party colour|CA|PC|row}} |Government (Unionist) |Horatio Clarence Hocken |align="right"| 12,648 {{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal|row}} |Opposition (Laurier Liberals) |Charles Wesley Kerr |align="right"|3,030 {{Canadian party colour|CA|Labour|row}} |Labour |John William Bruce |align="right"|2,053 {{end}}

{{Election box begin | title=1921 Canadian federal election}} |- {{Canadian party colour|CA|PC|row}} |Conservative |Horatio Clarence Hocken |align="right"| 5,920 {{Canadian party colour|CA|Liberal|row}} |Liberal |Alfred Taylour Hunter |align="right"| 3,913 {{Canadian party colour|CA|Labour|row}} |Labour |Harriet Dunlop Prenter |align="right"| 1,741 {{end}}

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == * Website of the [https://www.parl.ca/ Parliament of Canada]

Category:Former federal electoral districts of Ontario Category:Federal electoral districts of Toronto