Walter Assef (May 31, 1913 – January 14, 1988) was a Canadian politician, and former

Vaudevillian Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

,Tronrud, Thorold J. & Nicholson, David (2005).
Thunder Bay Quiz Book: 101 Fascinating Questions about our History
''.

Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society The Thunder Bay Museum is located in Thunder Bay, Ontario. It is operated by the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society, incorporated in 1972 as the successor to the Thunder Bay Historical Society. The Museum is affiliated with the Canadian Museums ...

, pps. 19 (question) and 47 (answer) . who served as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of the city of

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its population ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. He was the first, and Until 2022 Where

Ken Boshcoff Ken Boshcoff (born June 20, 1949) was mayor of Thunder Bay, Ontario from 1997 to 2003 and a Canadian Member of Parliament for Thunder Bay—Rainy River from 2004 to 2008. He was elected Mayor of Thunder Bay again, on October 24, 2022. Early l ...

was elected for a discontinuous term, the only mayor, to have been elected for two discontinuous terms. He was first elected in 1973 and served until 1978. His second term began when he was re-elected in 1981 and lasted until 1985. Walter Melund Assef was born May 31, 1913 at

Sioux Lookout, Ontario Sioux Lookout is a town in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. Located approximately northwest of Thunder Bay, it has a population of 5,272 people (up 4.7% since 2011), an elevation of , and its boundaries cover an area of , of which is lake and wetla ...

to John Hunna Khaleefy Asseff, a native of

Hasroun Hasroun (also Hasrun or Hasroon, Arabic: حصرون ) is a village located in the Bsharri District in the North Governorate of Lebanon. It is situated in the Valley of Qadisha, overlooking the southern branch of this valley, the Qannoubine Valle ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

, and Maria Rosa Penteado (variant spelling, Mary Penteado), a native of Brazil. He died January 14, 1988.

Liberace Władziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) was an American pianist, singer, and actor. A child prodigy born in Wisconsin to parents of Italian and Polish origin, he enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, recordi ...

dined at the home of Walter Assef before performing at the

Fort William Gardens The Fort William Gardens is a multi-purpose arena, in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. It opened in 1951. History The Gardens opened on March 6, 1951. The Fort William Canadians defeated the Fort William Hurricanes by a 4–2 score in the first ga ...

on 30 September 1961. As mayor, his nickname was "Jolly Wally". Reportedly,

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

coined the term, referring to him as "that jolly little mayor from Thunder Bay". His predecessor as mayor

Saul Laskin Saul Laskin (15 May 1918 – 4 October 2008) was a Canadian politician. He was the first mayor of the City of Thunder Bay, Ontario. Born in Fort William, Ontario, he was the younger brother of jurist Bora Laskin. He was educated in Fort Willia ...

did not see him that way - he found him disruptive and uncooperative. By his second term in office, many observers deplored his behaviour in council as abusive.Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
One of the issues he campaigned strongly against was the building of a stand-alone arts complex in the city. When the Community Auditorium (as it's now known) was built, Walter Assef vowed to never attend the grand opening or ever step inside.Tronrud, Thorold J. & Nicholson, David (2005).
Thunder Bay Quiz Book: 101 Fascinating Questions about our History
''.

, pps. 10 (question) and 40 (answer) . A

populist Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term developed ...

, Assef once campaigned with a cow.Tronrud, Thorold J. & Nicholson, David (2005).
Thunder Bay Quiz Book: 101 Fascinating Questions about our History
''.

, front cover (question) and inside back cover (answer) .

Bibliography

* Peter Raffo, "Municipal political culture and conflict of interest at the Lakehead, 1969–1972," Thunder Bay Historical Museum ''Society Papers and Records'', 26 (1998), 26-45.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Assef, Walter 1913 births 1988 deaths Mayors of Thunder Bay Canadian people of Lebanese descent People from Sioux Lookout