William Summerville
William Arthur Summerville (1879-1958) was a municipal and provincial politician in Toronto, Canada.
| Donald Dean Summerville | |
|---|---|
| Toronto Ward 1 Alderman | |
| In office 1922–1933 | |
| Member of Toronto Board of Control | |
| In office 1933–1937 | |
| Member of Parliament for Riverdale | |
| In office 1937–1943 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 8, 1879 Cargill, Bruce County, Ontario |
| Died | November 19, 1969 Toronto |
| Political party | Progressive Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Alberta White |
| Occupation | politician |
| Profession | real estate manager, musician |
Summerville was born in Cargill, Bruce County on July 8, 1879 and moved with his family to Toronto at age three. His first career was as a musician. He played cornet for the 48th Highlanders and toured North America with different theatre orchestras. He also became a locally popular song writer, with tunes like "Yes, Danforth".
He settled in the east part of Toronto and became active in the theatre and real estate business. He became the owner of a small chain of theatres that presented both vaudeville shows and movies. He built structures such as the Prince of Wales Theatre at Woodbine and Danforth. He was also into real estate beginning in 1908 and founded his own firm (Summerville Properities) in 1912.[1]
Summerville's first election victory was as a Toronto Board of Education trustee in 1920 and then elected as Toronto City Council Ward 1 alderman from 1922 to 1933. Summerville joined the then Toronto Board of Control from 1933 to 1937. His election caused controversy when it was discovered he was on arrears on some of his municipal taxes, and was thus ineligible to run and to take his seat on the board. As a result a by-election was called. Summerville, having paid his taxes, was allowed to run and he won the seat by a considerable margin.
In 1937 he was elected as the Conservative MPP for the riding of Riverdale. He served in the legislature until 1943 when he was defeated by Leslie Wismer of the CCF.
Summerville's son Donald Summerville was elected to city council in 1955 for Ward 1 and was elected mayor in 1963, but died suddenly only months after his term in office. Donald's older brother William's grandson Paul Summerville was an NDP candidate in the 2006 federal election.
References
- "Controller, MPP, was father of Alderman." The Globe and Mail. November 20, 1968. pg. 4
- "W.A. Summerville, 80, Once Controller, Dies." Toronto Star. November 19, 1968. pg. 35