Jesse O. McCarthy (November 10, 1867 — 1937) was a Toronto insurance executive and politician and an early member of Canada's Baháʼí Faith community. McCarthy was born in Walpole, Haldimand County, Ontario to Charles Callahan McCarthy and Margaret Frances (Williams) McCarthy. He was a school teacher before becoming a

life insurance Life insurance (or life assurance, especially in the Commonwealth of Nations) is a contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer or assurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the death ...

agent in 1892. He worked for the Temperance and General Life Assurance Company of Toronto until 1905 and then was the provincial manager of first the Great West Life Assurance Company of Toronto from 1906 to 1909 and then manager of Aetna Life Assurance Company until 1912 when he became president of the Sterling Life Assurance Company and then president and general manager of its successor, the Security Life Insurance Company of Canada. McCarthy was first elected to Toronto City Council as alderman for Ward 6 in the 1910 Toronto municipal election and was re-elected in

1911 Toronto municipal election Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on January 2, 1911. Mayor George Reginald Geary was easily reelected mayor. Toronto mayor Mayor George Reginald Geary had been elected mayor the year previous 1910. His only opposition wer ...

. In the

1912 Toronto municipal election Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on January 1, 1912. Mayor George Reginald Geary faced no opponents and was acclaimed for reelection. Toronto mayor Mayor Geary had been elected mayor in 1910 and re-elected in 1911. No o ...

he was elected to the Toronto Board of Control and was re-elected in

1913 Events January * January 5 – First Balkan War: Battle of Lemnos (1913), Battle of Lemnos – Greek admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis forces the Turkish fleet to retreat to its base within the Dardanelles, from which it will not ven ...

and

1914 This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...

and is credited with establishing Toronto's

juvenile court A juvenile court, also known as young offender's court or children's court, is a tribunal having special authority to pass judgements for crimes that are committed by children who have not attained the age of majority. In most modern legal s ...

, the first in Canada, and advocated on improvements to sanitation, food safety, the water and milk supply, lighting, and education. McCarthy ran for Mayor of Toronto in the

1915 Toronto municipal election Municipal elections were held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on January 1, 1915. Tommy Church was elected mayor defeating Jesse O. McCarthy. Toronto mayor Incumbent mayor H.C. Hocken chose not to run for re-election. Two prominent members of the B ...

but was defeated by Thomas Langton Church who won 26,041 votes to McCarthy's 19,573. McCarthy had been endorsed by the ''

Toronto Daily Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'' which praised his record as a social reformer crediting him with leading the

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people ...

movement in the city as well as using his position on council to improve water treatment and sanitation to reduce the spread of disease, and builf improved hospitals. Originally a Methodist, McCarthy and his wife became members of the small Baháʼí community in Toronto. In 1924, McCarthy was sent to Britain to represent Toronto's Baháʼí community at an international Baháʼí conference. He married Mary Davis on August 10, 1892, and they had three children: Lilian Pearl, Vourneen, and Davis. McCarthy died in 1937.Toronto Daily Star (1900-1971); Toronto, Ontario. 13 Nov 1937: page 4.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCarthy, Jesse O. Toronto city councillors Canadian Bahá'ís Converts to the Bahá'i Faith from Protestantism 1867 births 1937 deaths People from Haldimand County