William Peyton Hubbard facts for kids

Quick facts for kids William Peyton Hubbard
Portrait of William Peyton Hubbard
Alderman for Ward 4
In office 1894 — 1898, 1900 – 1903
Vice-chairman of the Toronto Board of Control
In office January 1, 1906 – December 31, 1906
Toronto Board of Control
In office 1898, 1901, 1904 – 1908
Alderman for Ward 1
In office January 1, 1913 – December 31, 1913
Personal details
Born	January 27, 1842 Toronto, Upper Canada
Died	April 30, 1935 (aged 93) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Spouse	Julia Luckett
Education	Toronto Normal School
Occupation	politician, baker, chauffeur

William Peyton Hubbard (January 27, 1842 – April 30, 1935), a Toronto alderman from 1894 to 1914, was a popular and influential politician, nicknamed Cicero for his oratory; he was one of the first politicians of African descent elected to office in Canada.

Early life

Hubbard was born in a cabin in what were then the outskirts of Toronto, in a rural area called "the Bush" near the intersection of what are now Bloor Street and Bathurst Street. His parents were refugee American slaves who had escaped their plantation in Virginia and reached Canada in 1840 via the Underground Railroad. Raised a devout Anglican, Hubbard was trained as a baker at the Toronto Normal School. He invented and patented a successful commercial baker's oven, the Hubbard Portable.

By his thirties, he had married Julia Luckett. After having worked 16 years as a baker, he joined his uncle's horse-drawn livery taxi service. According to what may be an apocryphal story, one winter night, he rescued another cab and its occupant, newspaper publisher George Brown, from drowning in the Don River. A grateful Brown hired Hubbard as his driver. Hubbard himself, however, said that he was not present at the accident but that the incident upset Brown so much that Hubbard agreed to become Brown's driver as a favour to his brother, who operated the livery service that Brown used. Regardless of which version is correct, Brown and Hubbard became friends and the publisher later encouraged Hubbard to seek public office. His lifelong friend was Anderson Ruffin Abbott, Canada's first black physician.

City politics

Hubbard first sought public office in 1893 at the age of 51, running in Toronto's Ward 4, where he lost by 7 votes. Encouraged, he ran again in Ward 4 in 1894 and was elected to represent the quiet, tree-lined ward of grand homes; it was one of the wealthiest and whitest wards in the city (encompassing an area between University Avenue and Bathurst Street). He was elected to city council a total of 15 times in his career.

A reformer armed with a sharp wit and a powerful oratory skills, which earned him the nickname "Old Cicero", Hubbard was known for his strong sense of public duty. He made his name fighting for public ownership of Toronto's water and hydroelectric supplies. Hubbard was appointed to the Toronto Board of Control, the city's powerful executive body, in 1898 and agitated to have the body directly elected by the people. He won election to the body in the first citywide election in 1904, the first and only person of colour to win a citywide election in Toronto's history. Hubbard topped the polls in the election to the Board in 1906; as vice-chairman of the board, he served as acting mayor on occasions when the mayor was absent. He was re-elected in 1907 but defeated in 1908, and again in the 1909 and 1910 municipal elections.

Despite being a city official, Hubbard needed to obtain a letter from Mayor Emerson Coatsworth vouching for his character when travelling to Washington, D.C. for a business meeting in 1906.

Hubbard gained passage of almost 100 initiatives in his years on council. He advocated improved waterworks and opposed its privatization, sought roads, and the authority to enact local improvement bylaws. He also fought for the creation of High Park.

He also opposed various forms of discrimination. In 1896, he defended the small Chinese community against unfair taxes meant to discourage Chinese-operated hand laundries. He also presented a petition to City Council calling for an end to "attacks on the Jewish religion" by anti-Semitic street preachers.

Hubbard joined with Sir Adam Beck to advocate a publicly owned hydroelectricity utility system in the province and led efforts to create the publicly owned Toronto Hydro-Electric System. He was opposed in this campaign by some businessmen who wanted a private system, leading to his defeat in 1908, his first loss at the polls in 24 years.

He was appointed justice of the peace for York County in May 1908. Hubbard returned to city council in the 1913 election, this time representing Ward 1 which included the Riverdale neighbourhood. He retired at the end of his one-year term due to his wife's ill health.

Hubbard served on the board of the Toronto House of Industry, an institution which provided relief for the poor, for four decades.

Retirement and death

Hubbard retired to the Riverdale area of the city, building a home on Broadview Avenue near Danforth Avenue. He lived there until his death from a stroke at the age of 93. Coincidentally the alderman, dubbed the Grand Old Man by Toronto press in his political days, and serving well into his 90s, was quite literally the oldest man in the city for a short period before his death. Flags at Toronto City Hall, St. Lawrence Market, and other public buildings in the city flew at half-mast to mark his death. He is buried in the Toronto Necropolis.

His son Frederick Langdon Hubbard was chairman of the Toronto Transportation Commission from 1929 to 1930 and married Grace (Abbot) Hubbard, the daughter of Anderson Ruffin Abbott.

Honours

Hubbard House historical plaque

• Hubbard's portrait hangs in the office of the Mayor of Toronto.
• The City of Toronto's William Peyton Hubbard Award For Race Relations was established in 1989 and is awarded annually. Recipients have included Leonard Braithwaite, QC, George Elliot Clarke, Dub Poet Lillian Allen, and former Ontario cabinet minister Alvin Curling.
• The William Peyton Hubbard Memorial Award is a scholarship established in 2000 and funded by Hydro One which is awarded annually to two black students studying power industry-related disciplines at a recognized Ontario post-secondary institution. The award includes an offer of a work term or summer employment at Hydro One.
• A historical plaque commemorating Hubbard is located in front of his former home at 660 Broadview Avenue; it is now named Hubbard House and houses several classrooms for the Montcrest School.
• Hubbard Park, located at 562 Gerrard Street, at Broadview Avenue was opened in 2016 in a ceremony in front of an audience that included 16 of Hubbard's descendants. The park, located not far from Hubbard's long-time home on Broadview Avenue, was created after the closure of the Don Jail when the land in front of the restored building was landscaped as part of the expansion of Bridgepoint Health.

Cultural depictions

Hubbard was portrayed in Season 9, Episode 13 ("Colour Blinded") of the Canadian mystery series Murdoch Mysteries by the actor Rothaford Gray. In the episode, he comes to the defence of an innocent black man, who has been racially profiled by the Toronto police. He made a repeat appearance in Season 9 Episode 16, March 7, 2016 ("Bloody Hell"). Hubbard was also portrayed in Season 3, Episode 8 ("Ward of the Roses") of the Canadian mystery series Frankie Drake Mysteries by the actor Neville Edwards.

Biography

A biography, Against All Odds, was published in 1986 and written by his great-grandson Stephen L. Hubbard.

Electoral history

Toronto Board of Control (top 4 candidates elected)

The Toronto Board of Control was directly elected beginning in 1904. Previously, the body had been appointed by Toronto City Council from amongst its members. Hubbard had been appointed in 1898 and 1901.

1904

Frank S. Spence - 12,294

John F. Loudon - 11,121

William Peyton Hubbard - 8,950

Fred H. Richardson - 8,923

William Burns - 8,641

James Russell Lovett Starr - 8,639

Joseph Oliver - 8,598

John Shaw - 7,184

1905

Frank S. Spence (incumbent) - 13,032

J.J. Ward - 12,993

William Peyton Hubbard (incumbent) - 12,880

John Shaw - 12,436

J.R.L Starr - 9,823

Joseph Oliver - 8,141

Thomas Foster - 6,395

G.R. Ramsden - 5,839

Frank Moses - 5,048

A.R. Denison - 4,925

Edward Hanlan - 2,178

1906

William Peyton Hubbard (incumbent) - 14,081

S. Alfred Jones - 14,039

J.J. Ward (incumbent) - 13,770

John Shaw (incumbent) - 12,524

Hastings - 11,308

1907

J.J. Ward (incumbent) - 9,362

William Spence Harrison - 9,054

Horatio Clarence Hocken - 8,639

William Peyton Hubbard (incumbent) - 8,483

Robert Fleming - 7,077

S. Alfred Jones (incumbent) - 6,710

John Shaw (incumbent) - 6,465

John Dunn - 5,038

Davies - 1,390

Joel Marvin Briggs - 496

1908

Horatio Clarence Hocken (incumbent) - 16,844

Frank S. Spence - 11,512

William Spence Harrison (incumbent) - 10,312

J.J. Ward (incumbent) - 10,075

William Peyton Hubbard (incumbent) - 9,203

John Shaw - 6,385

Robert Fleming - 5,640

Oliver Sheppard - 5,099

John Dunn - 4,434

John Enoch Thompson - 1,291

James Lindala - 1,220

Hugh MacMath - 1,013

Robert Buist Noble - 745

James O'Hara - 367

Joel Marvin Briggs - 232

1909

George Reginald Geary - 19,027

Horatio Clarence Hocken (incumbent) - 17,380

J.J. Ward (incumbent) - 15,782

William Spence Harrison (incumbent) - 13,509

Frank S. Spence (incumbent) - 12,933

William Peyton Hubbard - 11,275

Hales - 8,171

Robert Buist Noble - 1,287

James O'Hara - 779

1910

Frank S. Spence - 13,879

J.J. Ward (incumbent) - 13,401

Tommy Church - 12,657

Thomas Foster - 10,841

William Spence Harrison (incumbent) - 9,946

William Peyton Hubbard - 9,498

Mark Bredin - 8,708

James Henry McGhie - 7,511

James Hales - 5,852

Albert Chamberlain - 2,730

Alderman

1893

Fourth Ward

William Carlyle (incumbent) - 2,292

William Burns (incumbent) - 2,266

James Jolliffe (incumbent) - 1,966

George Verral (incumbent) - 1,634

Wm. P. Hubbard - 1,626

A.F. Jury - 1,316

(top 4 candidates elected)

1894

Fourth Ward

William Burns (incumbent) - 2,011

Wm. P. Hubbard - 1,993

James Jolliffe (incumbent) - 1,600

James Crane - 1,458

George Verral (incumbent) - 1,381

W.G. Harris - 1,123

John McCaffrey - 1,014

M. B. Alison - 986

Alex R. Williamson - 960

John Ward - 511

John Dill - 340

1895

Fourth Ward

William Burns (incumbent) - 2,217

Wm. P. Hubbard (incumbent) - 2,213

James Crane (incumbent) - 1,839

James Jolliffe (incumbent) -1,189

B. Alison - 1,084

George Verral - 979

A.F. Jury - 903

Thompson Porter - 795

Alex R. Williamson - 697

George Williams - 512

Henry Cohen - 353

1896

Fourth Ward

William Burns (incumbent) - 2,356

Wm. P. Hubbard (incumbent) - 2,058

James Crane (incumbent) - 1,835

James Jolliffe (incumbent) -1,448

John McCaffrey - 1,093

John Lester - 583

Robert P. Hall - 485

Frank Sexton -283

1897

Fourth Ward

Wm. P. Hubbard (incumbent) - 2,798

Wm. Burns (incumbent) - 2,621

James Crane (incumbent) - 1,777

William Carlyle - 1,543

James Jolliffe (incumbent) -1,354

H.E. Trent - 1,291

F.W. Unitt - 1,221

J.E. Verral - 941

Robert P. Hall - 536

James Langdon - 340

D.H. Watt - 89

1898

Fourth Ward

Wm. Burns (incumbent) - 2,226

Wm. P. Hubbard (incumbent) - 2,161

James Crane (incumbent) - 1,888

Edward Hanlan - 1,595

H.E. Trent - 1,300

Thomas Urquhart - 1,264

William Carlyle (incumbent) - 1,093

James Jolliffe - 838

W.G McWilliams -835

Robert P. Hall - 323

George McKibbon - 279

At the first city council meeting following the election, Hubbard was one of three aldermen chosen to sit on the Toronto Board of Control

1899

Fourth Ward

Wm. Burns (incumbent) - 2,870

James Crane (incumbent) - 2,818

Edward Hanlan (incumbent) - 2,373

Wm. P. Hubbard (incumbent) - 2,318

Thomas Urquhart - 2,288

S.W. Burns - 2,057

H.W. Paull - 1,016

Thomas Roberts - 238

1900

Fourth Ward

Thomas Urquhart - 3,098

Wm. P. Hubbard (incumbent) - 2,674

James Crane (incumbent) - 2,601

Wm. Burns (incumbent) - 2,495

Stephen W. Burns - 2,476

Edward Hanlan (incumbent) - 1,345

Thomas Roberts - 384

1901

Fourth Ward (Spadina)

Thomas Urquhart - 3,191

William Burns (incumbent) - 2,680

William Peyton Hubbard (incumbent) - 2,673

James Crane (incumbent) - 2,500

Alex R. Williamson - 1,688

Samuel Platt - 740

At the first city council meeting following the election, Hubbard was one of four aldermen chosen to sit on the Toronto Board of Control

1902

Fourth Ward (Spadina)

Thomas Urquhart - 3,280

William Burns (incumbent) -2,803

James Crane (incumbent) - 2,709

William Peyton Hubbard (incumbent) - 2,496

Alex R. Williamson - 1,830

Edmund Schilling - 254

1903

Fourth Ward (Spadina)

William Burns (incumbent) -2,770

William Peyton Hubbard (incumbent) - 2,585

Dr. William S. Harrison - 2,582

Stephen Wellesley Burns - 2,469

Alex R. Williamson - 1,731

Lieut-Col. Norman F. Paterson - 1,535

Edmund Schilling - 258

1913

Ward 1 (Riverdale)

William D. Robbins - 4,030

Albert Edwin Walton - 3,789

William Peyton Hubbard - 3,611

William John Saunderson (incumbent) - 1,935

William Edward Orr - 1,209

Frank Britton - 602

(top 3 candidates elected)