List of reeves and mayors of East York facts for kids

East York was a town in Ontario, Canada, that used to be a separate place before it became part of the city of Toronto. From 1924 to 1998, East York had its own leaders. These leaders were called a Reeve for many years, and then later a Mayor.

East York started as a township in 1924. It was created from a larger area called York Township.

East York's Early Leaders: The Reeves

A Reeve was like the main leader or manager of a township. They helped run the local government. East York had Reeves from 1924 to 1966.

Famous Reeves of East York

• Robert Barker (1924-1925): He was a market gardener, which means he grew and sold vegetables. Before becoming Reeve, he was a councillor in York Township.
• Robert Henry McGregor (1926): He worked as a contractor and loved gardening. While he was Reeve, he was also elected to be a Member of Parliament (MP) for Canada. He served in parliament for a very long time, from 1926 until 1962.
• Rupert Marshell Leslie (1927-1933): He owned a company that installed heating systems. Later, he became the chairman of the town's first planning board, which helped decide how the town would grow.
• John Warren (1934–1935, 1937-1950): He was a barber who came to Canada from England in 1910. He was very important in helping East York's farmland become places for businesses and factories.
• Arthur Henry Williams (1936): He was a leader for workers and helped people who were struggling financially. He convinced the town council to give money directly to poor families instead of just vouchers. He also helped organize people to stop landlords from kicking out tenants who couldn't pay rent.
• Harry G. Simpson (1950-1956): He used to be a bank manager. He won the election to become Reeve in 1950.
• Jack Allen (1957-1960): He was a landscaper who designed beautiful gardens, including those at Sunnybrook Hospital. Interestingly, he was also a provincial boxing champion in 1932! He once suggested building a big stadium where the Rogers Centre is now.
• True Davidson (1961-1966): She was a journalist and even wrote children's books! She was also the first woman in Canada to work as a sales representative for a publishing company. She worked hard to save Todmorden Mills and turn it into a heritage museum. She also started East York's yearly July 1st parade.

East York changed from a township to a borough in 1967. It stayed a borough until 1998.

East York's Leaders: The Mayors

When East York became a borough, its main leader was then called a Mayor.

Mayors of East York

• True Davidson (1967-1972): After East York and another town called Leaside joined together, True Davidson became the very first Mayor of the new Borough of East York. She won against Leaside's Reeve, Beth Nealson.
• Willis Blair (1973-1976): He resigned in 1976 to take on a new role with the Ontario Municipal Board.
• Leslie H. Saunders (1976): He had been a mayor of Toronto before. The council chose him to be Mayor after Willis Blair resigned.
• Alan Redway (1977-1982): He was a lawyer. Later, he became a Member of Parliament (MP) for areas like York East and Don Valley East. He also served as a government minister in charge of housing.
• David Johnson (1983-1993): He resigned when he was elected as a Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Don Mills. He later became a cabinet minister in the provincial government.
• Michael Prue (1993-1998): The council appointed him Mayor in 1993 after David Johnson left. He then won the election in 1994 to keep his position. He later became a New Democratic MPP for Beaches—East York. During his time as Mayor, he managed to keep taxes from increasing for five years in a row and helped reduce East York's debt by $7.8 million.