Mayors of Dundas
This project was developed and created by Judy Morphet, a Museum volunteer. It has been years in the making and is ongoing. The Museum is thankful for Judy’s hard work and perseverance in bringing these stories to light.
Nearly sixty years after the first Euro-American settlement in the Dundas valley, the Corporation of the Town of Dundas came into being. The leader of the elected officials was briefly known as the President of the Town Council and then, after 1850, Mayor. The woman and men who held this position over more than a century and a half came from all walks of life: from manufacturers and shop keepers to doctors, dentists, and lawyers. Some were in the role for only a year, others for more years than they wanted.
From 1848 to 2000, they presided over good times, bad times, and tumultuous periods that tested their leadership. Telling the stories of these people allows us to view Dundas in a different light. The personal stories of the mayors are seen through the backdrop of what was happening in the town and in the world during their term in office.
The Mayors of Dundas:
1848: John Paterson (1805-1856)
1849: James Belle Ewart (1801-1853)
1850-1852: James Coleman(1811-1881)
1853-1854: Robert Holt (1801-1876)
1855: George Munns Barton (1829-1892)
1856-1857: John Quarry (1810-1877)
1858: Alexis Fidèle Begue (1805-1872)
1859-1861: Thomas Howard McKenzie (1811-1896)
1862-1865: John Mair Thornton (1823-1911)
1866: Dr. James McMahon (1830-1909)
1867-1871: Alexander Richard Wardell (1835-1913)
1872-1873: Robert McKechnie, Jr. (1834-1913)
1874: James Somerville (1834-1916)
1875: Alexander Stronach Wink (1839-1899)
1876-1878: Thomas Wilson (1828-1891)
1879-1883: Alexander Richard Wardell (1835-1913)
1884: Robert McKechnie, Jr. (1834-1913)
1885: Thomas Wilson (1828-1891)
1886-1887: Herbert Charles Gwyn (1846-1926)
1888-1889: Henry Bickford (1842-1889)
1889-1890: John Bertram (1829-1906)
1891-1892: Richard Todd Wilson (1839-1927)
1893: Robert McKechnie, Jr. (1834-1913)
1894-1895: Col. William Edward Sheridan Knowles (1862-1931)
1896-1897: Thomas Atkins Wardell (1865-1902)
1898: Henry Bertram (1856-1945)
1899-1900: William H. C. Fisher (1853-1921)
1901-1902: Charles (Chub) Collins (1857-1914)
1903-1904: William Lawson (1854-1948)
1905-1906: John Wolfenden Dickson (1865-1931)
1907-1908: William Henry Moss (1859-1941)
1909-1910: John Willkie Lawrason (1871-1940)
1911: Richard Todd Wilson (1839-1927)
1912-1913: Edwin Alfred Woodhouse (1845-1924)
1914-1915: William H. C. Fisher (1853-1921)
1916-1917: Charles Edgar Dickson (1878-1939)
1918: Herbert C. Davis (1871-1952)
1919: Samuel Joseph Lennard (1857-1921)
1920-1921: Edmund J. Mahony (1870-1955)
1922-1923: Alfred Broad (1884-1953)
1924-1927: Dr. Alonzo Campbell Caldwell (1880-1961)
1928-1929: John Edward Robinson (1893-1968)
1930: Dr. W. E. Inksetter (1865-1947)
1931-1935: Dr. Alonzo Campbell Caldwell (1880-1961)
1936-1939: Robert P. Manning (1881-1951)
1940-1941: Edmund J. Mahony (1870-1955)
1942-1944: Robert Hart Hunter (1880-1974)
1945-1946: David P. (Bud) Cliff (1902-1996)
1947-1949: Robert Hart Hunter (1880-1974)
1950-1953: John C. Don (1888-1981)
1954-1957: George Earl Kemp (1893-1965)
1958-1961: John Alexander Warren (1914-2003)
1962-1965: Albert S. Edwards (1906-1965)
1965-1967: Leslie Brown Couldrey (1889-1996)
1968-1976: Hugh Munson Everett (1917-1999)
1977-1985: Joseph T. Bennett (1925-2011)
1985-1988: Mary Ann Seldon (ca 1942- )
1988-2000: John Addison (ca 1943- )
