Louis M. Singer, K.C., (1885–1959 ) was a Toronto lawyer and the second Jewish candidate to win election to

Toronto City Council Toronto City Council is the governing body of the municipal government of Toronto, Ontario. Meeting at Toronto City Hall, it comprises 25 city councillors and the mayor of Toronto. The Toronto City Council 2022–2026, current term began on Nove ...

, the first being Newman Leopold Steiner. 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 is a high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is named after Jarvis Street where it is located. It is a part of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB). Prior to 1998, it was within the Toronto Board of Education ...

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, commonly shortened to Osgoode, is the law school of York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is home to the Law Commission of Ontario, the ''Journal of Law and Social Policy'', and the ''Osgoode Hall Law Journal ...

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

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. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he argued against the disenfranchisement of foreign-born citizens. 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 is a performing arts auditorium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1894, it is known for its outstanding acoustics and was the long-time hall of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Although original ...

expressing loyalty to the

British Empire The British Empire comprised the dominions, Crown colony, colonies, protectorates, League of Nations mandate, mandates, and other Dependent territory, territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It bega ...

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 The ''Ontario Temperance Act'' was a law passed in 1916 that led to the prohibition of alcohol in Ontario, Canada. When the Act was first enacted, the sale of alcohol was prohibited, but liquor could still be manufactured in the province or import ...

. He organized the Hebrew Conservative Association in 1925, serving 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 Andrew the Apostle ( ; ; ; ) was an apostle of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was a fisherman and one of the Apostles in the New Testament, Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. The title First-Called () used by the Eastern Orthodox Chu ...

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 Swept Into the Wet Lists by the Tory Machine. ''Toronto Daily Star''. December 2, 1926 p. 12

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singer, Louis Jewish Canadian politicians Toronto city councillors Lawyers in Ontario Jewish Canadian history 1885 births 1959 deaths 20th-century Canadian municipal councillors