Hamilton, Ontario municipal election, 1944
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Each of Hamilton's eight wards. Electors would send two Alderman per ward to City Hall in addition to four Controllers and one Mayor elected at-large.
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Samuel Lawrence
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
Samuel Lawrence
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
The 1944 Hamilton municipal election was held on December 4, 1944 to select one Mayor, four Controllers, and sixteen members of the Hamilton, Ontario City Council. Voters also elected one member per-ward to the local Public School Board for a two-year term.
After enjoying a term free from major controversies, incumbent mayor Sam Lawrence was believed to receive a second term by acclamation. The Hamilton Spectator, one of Lawrence's chief opponents during his candidacy the year prior, noted that Lawrence's acclamation was virtually a guarantee as many civic politicians were focused on two 'money' bylaws that would be put to the voters in the form of referenda. Lawrence was the sole candidate for the office on nomination day and spoke briefly about his plans for the coming year, specifically implementing a planned economic program to ensure the city's financial stability by 1945.
The elections in Ward One saw the return of former alderman Samuel Leslie Parker after a year away from council following his defeat in the Board of Control elections the year prior. During the 1943-1944 term of office, incumbent alderman William MacFarland died suddenly, prompting council to appoint Frederick Slack, the runner-up in the previous year's election, to MacFarland's seat. Slack campaigned heavily on his incumbency and referred to himself as a "people's candidate" during the campaign. Despite his brief tenure in office, Slack was soundly defeated, with electors returning Parker and his fellow alderman Herbert Hannah to office.
One of the area's prominent organizers with the Liberal Party, Henry Arnott Hicks, made his first bid for public office in this election. The 37-year-old Hicks was ultimately unsuccessful, falling over 700 votes behind Hannah. Despite his close ties with the Liberals, Hicks campaigned as an independent. The central theme of his campaign literature, aimed at his CCF opponent, declared that "civic affairs should be free of politics."
The local CCF, attempting to boost their ranks on council to support Lawrence, nominated Bessie Mitchell to stand as their candidate in the ward. Campaigning on a platform of social justice and governmental efficiency, Mitchell appealed to Hamilton's women by pressing them to "make sure that women of Hamilton have representation!" Mitchell's candidacy was not covered by the Hamilton Spectator and the paper mistakenly referred to her as 'Mr. Mitchell' when reporting on the results the day after the election.
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