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 current term began on November 15, 2022. Structure The cur ...

, 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 (T ...

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. The law school is home to the Law Commission of Ontario, the Journal of Law and Social Policy, and the ''Osgoode Hall La ...

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 (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

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 theatre 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. An intimate theatre, it was originally designed to seat ...

expressing loyalty to the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...

and giving thanks for Britain accepting the Mandate of Palestine. Singer was active with the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

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 importe ...

. 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 ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Peter ...

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