William J. Wadsworth (died March 20, 1949) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

businessman and politician. He was a long serving municipal politician in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. He was born in

Flesherton, Ontario Flesherton (population 584) is a community in the Municipality of Grey Highlands, in Grey County, Ontario, Canada, located at the junction of Highway 10 and Grey County Road 4 (formerly Highway 4). Although the area initially showed a high rate ...

and migrated to Toronto when his family moved to the

West Toronto Junction West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

while he was still a youth. He worked for 15 years at the treasury department at

Toronto City Hall The Toronto City Hall, or New City Hall, is the seat of the municipal government of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and one of the city's most distinctive landmarks. Designed by Viljo Revell and engineered by Hannskarl Bandel, the building opened i ...

and then left to work in the coal business. It was here that he founded and served as president of the Wadsworth Coal Company. He was long active in politics, and was a member of the Progressive Conservative Party. He was elected to city council in 1927, representing the Junction area. He remained on city council for seven years before being elected to the

Toronto Board of Control The Board of Control of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, was a part of its municipal government until it was abolished in 1969. It served as the executive committee of the Toronto City Council. When it was initially created in 1896 by mandate of the provin ...

in the 1935 election. He served on the Board of Control until 1946. He was defeated in his bid for re-election by John Innes. He retired from politics and was given a posting of

LCBO The Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) is a Crown corporation that retails and distributes alcoholic beverages throughout the Canadian province of Ontario. It is accountable to the Legislative Assembly through the minister of finance. It wa ...

inspector. He died of a stroke in 1949 at age 63. Wadsworth Park near St. Clair and Weston is named after him.

References

*"Former Controller W.J. Wadsworth Dies." ''Toronto Daily Star.'' March 21, 1949. pg. 24 *"William J. Wadsworth." ''The Globe and Mail.'' March 22, 1949. 1949 deaths Year of birth missing Toronto city councillors {{Ontario-politician-stub