Allan Austin Lamport (abt. 1903 - abt. 1999)

Preceded by Hiram McCallum

50th Mayor of Toronto 1952 - 1954

Succeeded by Leslie Howard Saunders

Biography

Allan Lamport won the 1954 election, but resigned after six months to become vice-chairman (later chairman) of the newly formed Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). Lamport later returned to City Council and made headlines for his opposition to Yorkville's hippies in the late 1960s.

He first sat on Toronto City Council in 1937. A licensed pilot, he urged the city to build airports on Toronto Island and in Malton, Ontario. These projects were approved and became the Toronto Island Airport and what is now Pearson International Airport.

From 1937 to 1943 he was an Ontario Liberal Party Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for the Toronto riding of St. David. He returned to city council in 1946 and campaigned for the provincial government of George Drew to permit the opening of cocktail bars in Toronto. In 1947, the legislature approved the opening of bars in cities with more than 100,000 people. In 1949 he was elected to the Board of Control for the first time.

He was defeated in his first campaign for mayor in 1951 but won on his second attempt the next year. As mayor, Lamport encouraged the construction of Toronto's subway system which would be Canada's first when it opened in 1954. Lamport resigned as mayor in 1954 to serve on the Toronto Transit Commission first as vice-chairman and then as chairman from 1955 to 1959 and recommended and won approval for the construction of the Bloor-Danforth subway line.

In 1960, he again ran for mayor but was defeated by Nathan Phillips. In 1964, he again ran for mayor and was defeated by Phil Givens. He subsequently returned to City Council again as a Controller and then as an alderman when the Board of Control was abolished.

In 1994, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada. Lamport Stadium in Toronto and the Allan A. Lamport Regatta Course on Toronto Island are named in his honour. His funeral was arranged through Ralph Day Funeral Home and services were held at St. Paul's Anglican Church and he is buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto.

Sources

[1] Birth Record FHL microfilm 2,148,636 Allan Austin Lamport Event Type Birth Event Date 04 Apr 1903 Event Place Toronto, York, Ontario, Canada Gender Male Father's Name William A Lamport Mother's Name Alice B Wood

[2] Marriage Record Allan Austin Lamport Event Type Marriage Event Date 25 Jun 1927 Event Place Toronto, York, Ontario, Canada Gender Male Age 25 Birth Year (Estimated) 1902 Father's Name William A Lamport Mother's Name Alice Wood Spouse's Name Edythe Gertrude Thompson Spouse's Gender Female Spouse's Age 26 Spouse's Birth Year (Estimated)1901 Spouse's Father's Name Alexander M Thompson Spouse's Mother's Name Agnes J Reddie

Find A Grave: Memorial #7251982 Find a Grave Obit: Toronto Mayor. Served as the Mayor of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, from 1952 to 1954. He also served as Chairman of the Toronto Transit Commission from 1954 to 1958, and was instrumental in opening Canada's first subway station on Yonge Street, with the help of Ontario Premier, Leslie Frost. Later in 1954 he left the office of Mayor and was promoted to Vice-Chairman on the Toronto Transit Commission. In September 1955 he was appointed to the top post when E.G. Russell left because of illness. He led the Toronto Transit Commission through the difficult transition from a city system to a metro-wide system. His determination and hard work on the Bloor Rapid Transit Project led to the opening of the Bloor-Danforth Line in 1966. He died from a stroke in November 1999. He was 96 years old. (bio by: Peterborough "K") Family links: Parents: William Alexander Lamport (1866 - 1961)

• Wikipedia:Allan_A._Lamport