Louis Singer
Encyclopedia
Louis M. Singer, K.C., was a Toronto lawyer and the first Jewish candidate to win election to Toronto City Council
.
Singer was born in Austria in 1885 and immigrated to Canada with his family when he was three years old. He attended Jarvis Collegiate Institute
in Toronto and had to pay for his own schooling by selling books and, later, real estate. Lacking enough money to attend university, he sold insurance for a year and then enrolled at Osgoode Hall Law School
while continuing to sell fire insurance at night. He graduated in 1908 with first class honours and the gold medal.
He established the law office of Singer and Singer and was elected to Toronto City Council
representing Ward 4 in the 1914 municipal election
. He was re-elected in 1915, 1916 and 1917 but was defeated in 1918 and returned to his law practice full time.
Singer was a prominent member of the Jewish community in Toronto. In 1920, he chaired a mass meeting of Toronto Jews in Massey Hall
expressing loyalty to the British Empire
and giving thanks for Britain accepting the Mandate of Palestine.
Singer was active with the Conservative Party
in the 1920s and was a critic of the Ontario Temperance Act
. He organized the Hebrew Conservative Association in 1925, seving as its president, in an attempt to promote the Conservative Party in the Jewish community. He split with the organized party in the 1926 election
. The Tory leadership had reportedly promised the city's large Catholic and Jewish populations that they would be represented among the Tory candidates, but the party again nominated the same full slate of Protestants. As a result Singer chose to run in the riding of St. Andrew
as an Independent Conservative, opposing the official party nominee William Robertson Flett. Flett won the election, but Singer finished a credible second winning 3,380 votes to Flett's 4,537.
Toronto City Council
The Toronto City Council is the governing body of the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Members represent wards throughout the city, and are known as councillors....
.
Singer was born in Austria in 1885 and immigrated to Canada with his family when he was three years old. He attended Jarvis Collegiate Institute
Jarvis Collegiate Institute
Jarvis Collegiate Institute is a high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Jarvis is located on Jarvis Street. Founded in 1807 it is the second oldest high school in Ontario after the Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute, and the oldest high school in Toronto.-History:Jarvis Collegiate was...
in Toronto and had to pay for his own schooling by selling books and, later, real estate. Lacking enough money to attend university, he sold insurance for a year and then enrolled at Osgoode Hall Law School
Osgoode Hall Law School
Osgoode Hall Law School is a Canadian law school, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and affiliated with York University. Named after the first Chief Justice of Ontario, William Osgoode, the law school was established by The Law Society of Upper Canada in 1889 and was the only accredited law...
while continuing to sell fire insurance at night. He graduated in 1908 with first class honours and the gold medal.
He established the law office of Singer and Singer and was elected to Toronto City Council
Toronto City Council
The Toronto City Council is the governing body of the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.Members represent wards throughout the city, and are known as councillors....
representing Ward 4 in the 1914 municipal election
Toronto municipal election, 1914
Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Canada, on January 1, 1914. H.C. Hocken was reelected mayor defeating Fred McBrien. The election was also notable for the victory of Louis Singer, the first representative of Toronto's large Jewish community elected to city council.-Toronto mayor:H.C...
. He was re-elected in 1915, 1916 and 1917 but was defeated in 1918 and returned to his law practice full time.
Singer was a prominent member of the Jewish community in Toronto. In 1920, he chaired a mass meeting of Toronto Jews in Massey Hall
Massey Hall
Massey Hall is a venerable performing arts theatre in the Garden District of downtown Toronto. The theatre originally was designed to seat 3,500 patrons but, after extensive renovations in the 1940s, now seats up to 2,765....
expressing loyalty to the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
and giving thanks for Britain accepting the Mandate of Palestine.
Singer was active with the Conservative Party
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
in the 1920s and was a critic of the Ontario Temperance Act
Ontario Temperance Act
Ontario Temperance Act was a law passed in Ontario in 1916 to prohibit the sale of alcohol, a period known as Prohibition. This meant the province remained dry in legal terms, but smugglers continued to import alcohol into the province. The cause was the demand of religious elements led by women...
. He organized the Hebrew Conservative Association in 1925, seving as its president, in an attempt to promote the Conservative Party in the Jewish community. He split with the organized party in the 1926 election
Ontario general election, 1926
The Ontario general election, 1926 was the 17th general election held in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It was held on December 1, 1926, to elect the 112 Members of the 17th Legislative Assembly of Ontario ....
. The Tory leadership had reportedly promised the city's large Catholic and Jewish populations that they would be represented among the Tory candidates, but the party again nominated the same full slate of Protestants. As a result Singer chose to run in the riding of St. Andrew
St. Andrew (electoral district)
St. Andrew was a provincial electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was established to elect Members of the Legislative Assembly and then Members of Provincial Parliament to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario....
as an Independent Conservative, opposing the official party nominee William Robertson Flett. Flett won the election, but Singer finished a credible second winning 3,380 votes to Flett's 4,537.