True Davidson
| True Davidson | |
|---|---|
Davidson in 1972, after her retirement from politics
|
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| 1st Mayor of East York | |
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In office 1966–1972 |
|
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Willis Blair |
| 9th Reeve of East York Township | |
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In office 1961–1966 |
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| Preceded by | Jack R. Allen |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Jean Gertrude Davidson 19 April 1901 Hudson, Quebec |
| Died | 18 September 1978 (aged 77) East York, Ontario |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Alma mater | Victoria College |
| Profession | Writer, editor |
Jean Gertrude "True" Davidson, CM (19 April 1901 – 18 September 1978), was a Canadian politician, teacher, and writer. She was the first mayor of the Borough of East York, Ontario, and she was one of Metropolitan Toronto's most colourful politicians in a career spanning nearly 25 years. She spent 10 years on the East York school board and 11 years as alderwoman, reeve and mayor on East York Council. During her time in local politics she ran in 11 elections and never lost.
She was born in Hudson, Quebec, the daughter of a Methodist minister. She was educated at the University of Toronto and then worked as a teacher. She tried her hand as a writer before gaining work editing a 12-volume compendium of Canadiana by William Perkins Bull. After her parents died, she moved to East York where she quickly became embroiled in local politics. She became a school trustee in 1947 and later chair of the school board. In 1958 she ran for local council and served one term before being elected as reeve in 1960. In 1966, East York merged with Leaside and Davidson emerged as the winner in a runoff election for mayor against Leaside's reeve, Beth Nealson. Davidson stayed on as mayor for six years until she retired in 1972.
Davidson was inspired to join the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) in the 1930s after meeting J.S. Woodsworth. She ran twice as a candidate for the party. She left the party after the CCF merged with the Canadian Labour Congress to form the New Democratic Party of Canada. In 1971 she ran for the Liberals in the 1971 provincial election but lost to incumbent Arthur Meen. In the last six years of her life she concentrated on writing a twice weekly column for the Toronto Sun and also focused her efforts on environmental conservation. She died in 1978 at the age of 77.
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