William Randall Allen (June 29, 1919 – October 1, 1985) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the

Chairman of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto The Chairman of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto or Metro Chairman was the regional chair of Metropolitan Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and the most senior political figure in the municipality. The Metro Chairman was elected by the members ...

from 1962 to 1969. He is the namesake of the William R. Allen Road in

Toronto 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 ...

, Ontario.

Background

Born in Buckingham, Quebec (on the outskirts of

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, Ontario), Allen was a graduate of

St. Michael's College School St. Michael's College School, (also known as St. Michael's, St. Mike's, and SMCS), is an independent, Catholic school for young men in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Administered by the Basilian Fathers, it is the largest school of its kind in Canada ...

, the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

, and

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 ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he enlisted with the

Queen's York Rangers la, celer et audax, lit=swift and bold , colors = Green and amethyst blue , identification_symbol = , identification_symbol_label = , march = "Braganza" , notable_commanders ...

and attained the rank of captain, serving overseas in Britain and Europe. After being called to the Ontario Bar in 1949, Allen was appointed

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...

in 1960. He married Marjorie Hornberger; together, they raised three children. His father, Robert Aloysius Allen, was an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

and then a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

Member of Provincial Parliament representing Riverdale during the 1930s. Robert Allen was the first Liberal to be elected to the legislature from Riverdale since Confederation in 1867. Robert Allen's father-in-law, Randall McDonnell, was the mayor of Mayo, Quebec for 13 consecutive years.

Politics

In 1950, William Allen entered municipal politics with his election as an alderman on Toronto city council, representing Riverdale in Ward 1. He subsequently was elected by the City of Toronto to become the youngest

Controller Controller may refer to: Occupations * Controller or financial controller, or in government accounting comptroller, a senior accounting position * Controller, someone who performs agent handling in espionage * Air traffic controller, a person ...

in Toronto history. He was a member of the first

Metropolitan Toronto Council The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was an Regional municipality, upper-tier level of municipal government in Ontario, Canada, from 1953 to 1998. It was made up of the Old Toronto, old city of Toronto and numerous townships, towns and vill ...

in 1952. In the 1955 Toronto municipal election, Allen was 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 ...

and was re-elected in 1956, 1958, and 1960. In 1958 and 1960 he finished in the top two, of the four Controllers elected, enabling him to return to Metro Council.

Metropolitan Toronto The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was an upper-tier level of municipal government in Ontario, Canada, from 1953 to 1998. It was made up of the old city of Toronto and numerous townships, towns and villages that surrounded Toronto, whic ...

was created by the Province of Ontario in 1952 and comprised Toronto, North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, York, and East York. While these municipalities continued to manage some local matters, Metropolitan Toronto assumed the responsibilities of more expensive programs, such as the TTC, police, and welfare. The municipality was presided over by a "super mayor", or Metro Chairman, for its 46-year duration until amalgamation in 1998. Undefeated in civic elections, Allen remained in municipal office until 1962 when, upon the retirement of

Fred Gardiner Frederick Goldwin Gardiner, (January 21, 1895 – August 21, 1983) was a Canadian politician, lawyer and businessman. He was the first chairman of Metropolitan Toronto council, the governing body for the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto, f ...

(namesake of the

Gardiner Expressway The Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway, commonly known as the Gardiner Expressway or simply the Gardiner, is a partially at grade and elevated municipal expressway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running close to the shore of Lake Ontario, it extends ...

), Allen defeated the Reeve of North York, Norman C. Goodhead, to become the second Chairman of Metropolitan Toronto. At the time, many felt Allen's Catholicism would serve as a roadblock in the election. Allen continued to build the infrastructure that began with his predecessor, Metro's first Chairman,

. Most notably, the Bloor-Danforth and University subway lines opened during Allen's tenure. Furthermore, Allen also initiated many social programs that included welfare assistance and old age homes. Allen cited the latter initiative as one of his proudest achievements. Metro's fourth chair, Paul V. Godfrey, told reporters after Allen's death 25 years later that he gave Metro its "human touch". (Toronto Star, October 1/85) Allen retired from the post in 1969. After leaving politics, he served as President and CEO to several corporations and sat on the Board of Directors for

Molson The Molson Brewery is a Canadian based brewery company based in Montreal which was established in 1786 by the Molson family. In 2005, Molson merged with the Adolph Coors Company to become Molson Coors. Molson Coors maintains some of its Can ...

Air Canada Air Canada is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Canada by the size and passengers carried. Air Canada maintains its headquarters in the borough of Saint-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec. The airline, founded in 1937, provides scheduled and ...

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

, the

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, and others. Allen continued to practice law before being appointed President of the

Canadian National Exhibition The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Exhibition or The Ex, is an annual event that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the third Friday of August leading up to and including Canadian Labour Day, ...

from 1979 to 1980. During his political career, Allen served on all City Council and Metropolitan Council Standing Committees. He also held positions with a number of external bodies. He was President of the Ontario Municipal Association, Honorary President of the Convention and Tourist Bureau of Metropolitan Toronto, and Honorary Vice-President of Boy Scouts of Canada. Allen maintained similar policies set out by his predecessor, Fred Gardiner. Toronto was going through a period of change, and he did little to impede that process. He presided over the expansion of the subway network and continued with the

expressway Expressway may refer to: * Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic. * Limited-access road, a lower grade of highway or arterial road. *Expressway, the fictional s ...

building program, which was cancelled after his exit from politics.

Retirement

Upon his retirement, the Spadina Expressway was renamed the William R. Allen Expressway (now the William R. Allen Road) in honour of Allen's distinguished civic service. The "Allen" runs from Kennard Avenue (Wilson Heights Boulevard link) in the north, to

Eglinton Avenue Eglinton Avenue is a major east–west arterial thoroughfare in Toronto and Mississauga in the Canadian province of Ontario. The street begins at Highway 407 (but does not interchange with the tollway) at the western limits of Mississauga, as a ...

West in the south. Allen strongly opposed amalgamation until his death in 1985 (Globe and Mail, October 1/85). He is buried at

Mount Hope Catholic Cemetery Mount Hope Catholic Cemetery is a Catholic cemetery at 305 Erskine Avenue in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. History Mount Hope was created near the end of the 19th Century when the Archdiocese of Toronto was faced with a capacity issue at St. Micha ...

References

City of Toronto Archives
biography {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, William 1919 births 1985 deaths Metropolitan Toronto councillors Chairmen of Metropolitan Toronto Canadian King's Counsel