Toronto Mayors
A History of the City's Leaders
The first-ever look at all 65 Toronto mayors — the good, the bad, the colourful, the rogues, and the leaders — who have shaped the city.
Toronto’s mayoral history is both rich and colourful. Spanning 19 decades and the growth of Toronto, from its origins as a dusty colonial outpost of just 9,200 residents to a global business centre and metropolis of some three million, this compendium provides fascinating biographical detail on each of the city’s mayors.
Toronto’s mayors have been curious, eccentric, or offbeat; others have been rebellious, swaggering, or alcoholic. Some were bigots, bullies, refugees, war heroes, social crusaders, or bon vivants; still others were inspiring, forward looking, or well ahead of their time.
One Toronto mayor attempted to kill a predecessor, but his pistol jammed. Another simply beat up the councillors he didn’t like. One committed murder, while another carried out a home invasion. And under the threat of capture and certain death, two mayors were forced to escape the city and live for years in exile, while another had 18 kids and cried poor, yet died on a luxury European vacation (minus the kids). One mayor was involved in the brutal torture of an opposition candidate. Another went insane while in office due to acute third stage syphilis.
looks at where each came from, how they came to lead the city, what issues they dealt with, and how they steered Toronto’s City Council.
Mark Maloney is a government relations professional specializing in the City of Toronto. He has worked full-time with three Toronto mayors — Barbara Hall, Mel Lastman, and John Tory — serving on either their mayoral campaign or at City Hall. Mark headed the initial bids that obtained the 2002 World Youth Days event, which remains the largest multi-day conference in Toronto history. He later served as coordinator of the Greater Toronto Area Economic Summit, a GTA-wide initiative to chart the region’s future.
Mark has been a municipal reporter with the former CHUM Radio Network and assignment desk researcher with CTV News in Ottawa. He also chaired the Ottawa region’s Board of Health and served for eight years as a member of Ottawa City Council. Mark has served on the boards of Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and the federal Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction. He recently served as secretary of Toronto’s bid for the Expo 2025 World’s Fair. Mark lives in Toronto.
