Toronto West (federal electoral district)

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

Members of Parliament

This riding has elected the following members of Parliament:

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 (1875Ã¢ÂÂ78) & Thomas Moss (1878Ã¢ÂÂ81)
two later served as Lieutenant Governor of Ontario - John Willoughby Crawford (1873Ã¢ÂÂ75) & John Beverley Robinson (1880Ã¢ÂÂ87)
four served as Mayor of Toronto - John Beverley Robinson (1856), James Beaty Jr. (1879Ã¢ÂÂ80), Edward Frederick Clarke (1888Ã¢ÂÂ91), Horatio Clarence Hocken (1912Ã¢ÂÂ14)
Edmund Boyd Osler was the founder and benefactor of the Royal Ontario Museum