List of mayors of Markham, Ontario

This is a list of mayors of the city of Markham, Ontario as well as reeves of Markham Village and Township of Markham

York County Era (1850-1971)

Following the passage of the Baldwin Act in 1849 (now Municipal Incorporation Act) the Home District was abolished and local governments were created. The Village of Markham (a police village called Markham Village) was formed in 1850 (with York County, Ontario) and a local council led by a reeve.^[1]

From 1850 to 1873 the reeve was appointed position. On November 20, 1872, the Warden of York County signed the By-law of Incorporation, which resulted in the election of the reeve (and Council) for the Village of Markham.

1. Amos Wright 1850
2. David Reesor 1851
3. George P Dickson 1852
4. Henry Miller 1853-1855
5. David Reesor 1856-57
6. William Marr Button 1858 - Lieutenant Colonel of the 1st York Light Dragoons (now The Governor General's Horse Guards) and grandson of Captain John Button, founder of the 1st York Light Dragoons (Button's Troop)
7. David Reesor 1859-1860
8. William Marr Button 1861-1863
9. John Bowman 1864-1865
10. William Marr Button 1866
11. John Bowman 1867
12. William Marr Button 1868-1873 - last unelected reeve of the village of Markham before 1873
13. James Robinson 1874-1878 - first elected reeve of the village
14. William Eakin 1879-1882
15. Thomas Williamson 1883
16. David James 1884-1886
17. Robert Bruce 1887-1888
18. Anthony Forster 1889-1892
19. Jonathan Slater 1893-1896
20. Walter Scott 1897-1898
21. James Laurie 1899
22. Arthur Quantz 1900
23. James Dimma 1901-1902
24. Abner Summerfeldt 1903-1904
25. Jonathan Slater 1905-1907
26. William Henry Lapp 1908–1909
27. Jonathan Nigh 1910-1916
28. George P. Padget 1917-1923
29. Wesley Gohn 1924-1932
30. George P. Padget 1933-1936
31. Orville Heisey 1938-1943
32. Charles H. Hooper 1944-1947
33. William W. Griffin 1948-1949
34. Winfred Timbers 1950-1953
35. Alfred DeMasurier 1954-1956
36. William L. Clark 1957-1960
37. Alma Walker 1961-1967 - last reeve of the Village of Markham and first female reeve of the village

After 1968, Markham Village became the Township of Markham with council now led by a mayor:

38. Alma Walker 1968-1970 - Mayor - first mayor and first female mayor

Reeves of Markham Village 1872-1968

James Spleight 1872-1882
Garnet R. Vanzant 1883-1884, 1888, 1890
James Robinson 1885-1887
William Hamilton Hall 1889, 1891-1892
John Jerman 1893-1894
Fred C. Ash 1895
Dr Wesley Robinson 1896
Thomas H. Spleight 1897, 1906-1910
Fred Underhill 1898-1899
R.C. Tefft 1900, 1911-1912
Edward H. Wilson 1901
Henry C. Marr 1902, 1904
E.H. Wilson 1903, 1905
Robert A. Fleming 1913-1919
Dr T. H. Hassard 1920
Fred Gowland 1921-1922
Arthur F. Wilson 1923-1925, 1930
George W. Wilson 1926-1929
Frank Nighswander 1932-1933
Albert Wideman 1933-1937
Orville B. Heisey 1938-1943 - Proprietor - Unionville Planing Mill ^[2]
Frank A. Burkholder 1944-1946
Charles W. Reesor 1947-1949
Edward Reeve 1950-1951
Joesph V Fry 1952-1961
Alma Walker 1962-1968

Mayors of Markham Village 1969-1970

Alma Walker 1969-1970

York Region Era (1971-)

Post war changes and the rapid urban growth of Toronto lead to the shrinking of York County and gave rise to the establishment of the Regional Municipality of York (Regional Municipality of York Act RSO).^[3] Province Following the creation of York Region in 1971, the Town of Markham was incorporated by the larger Township of Markham Village annexing the smaller villages of Unionville, Ontario and Thornhill, Ontario (east of Yonge Street) into the new local government. A new Town Council was created (replacing the councils of Markham Village, Unionville and Thornhill) and led by a mayor:

39. Anthony Roman 1970-1984 - last Mayor of the Township and first Mayor of the Town of Markham
40. Carole Bell 1984-1988
41. Anthony Roman 1988-1992
42. Frank Scarpitti 1992-1994 - appointed following the death of Roman
43. Don Cousens 1994-2006
44. Frank Scarpitti 2006–present - last town mayor and first city mayor

Deputy Mayors and Reeves

David Reesor 1850
Henry Miller 1851
Alexander Hunter 1852
John Reesor 1853-1854
George Pringle 1856-1857
William Trudgeon 1858
Robert Marsh 1859, 1861
William Button 1860
Archibald Barker 1862
John Bowman 1863
James Gormley 1864-1865
James Robinson 1866
James Bowman 1867
John Lane 1868-1875
William Milliken 1876 - Postmaster - Milliken Postal Village ^[4]
Benjamin F. Reesor 1878-1881
David James 1882-1883
Robert Bruce 1884-1886
Anthony Forster 1887-1888
H.B. Schmidt 1889-1891
Jonathan Slater 1892
Walter Scott 1893-1896
James Lawrie 1897
Arthur Quantz 1898-1899
James Dimma 1900
John Eckardt 1901
Abner Summerfeldt 1902, 1917
George Morrison 1903-1905
W.H. Lapp 1906-1907
Jonathan Nigh 1908-1909
George B. Padget 1910-1916
John A. Mitchell 1918-1921
Wesley V. Gohn 1922-1923
Robert A. Smith 1924, 1931-1933
John R. Campbell 1925-1927
Reuben L. Stiver 1928-1930
William L. Clark 1934, 1944-1945, 1954-1956
James Rennie 1935-1936
Charles H. Hooper 1937-1943, 1963
Albert Reesor 1946
Dalton Rummey 1947-1948, 1950-1951
Winfred Timbers 1949
Alfred E. James 1952
Alfred LeMasurier 1953
Donald M. Deacon 1957
Wilfred R. Dean 1958-1960
I. Lawson Mumberson 1961-1962
Stewart T. Rumble 1964-1965
S.J. Gadsby 1967-1968
Anthony Roman 1969-1970
Thomas Williamson - was a township councillor and later reeve
Ron Dancey - later served as Councillor in Brant, Ontario
Ronald Moran 1980s-1991 - served as Regional Councillor for Markham
Frank Scarpitti 1991-1992
Carole Bell 1994-1996
Frank Scarpitti 1997–2006
Jim Jones 2006-2007
Jack Heath 2007–present

Notable reeves and mayors

Several reeves and mayors of Markham went on to serve in higher elected office after (and before) their terms in Markham:

Reesor served a legislative councillor in the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada and later in the Senate of Canada.
Wright served as a MLA in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada, MP in the Canadian House of Commons, as well as federal Indian Agent and Crown Agent of Ontario.
Roman served as Chair of York Region Council and was a MP in the Canadian House of Commons before becoming mayor.
Cousens served a provincial cabinet minister and MPP in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario before becoming mayor.
Eakin served as Warden of York County, Ontario, later becoming a MLA and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories.

References

^ http://www.guidingstar.ca/Markham_Ontario_History.htm
^ http://markhamfair.ca/canadas-largest-4-day-agricultural-fair-6/committee/past-presidents
^ http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/on-line-exhibits/maps/regmunic.aspx
^ "History of Toronto and County of York, Ontario:Biographical Notices", 1885, p. 299 http://www.ourroots.ca/e/page.aspx?id=716554

External links

[1]

[1] ttp://www.guidingstar.ca/Markham_Ontario_History.htm

[2] ttp://markhamfair.ca/canadas-largest-4-day-agricultural-fair-6/committee/past-presidents

[3] ttp://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/on-line-exhibits/maps/regmunic.aspx

[4] "History of Toronto and County of York, Ontario:Biographical Notices", 1885, p. 299 http://www.ourroots.ca/e/page.aspx?id=716554

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