Thomas Urquhart

Who was Thomas Urquhart?

Thomas Urquhart was a Canadian politician and mayor of Toronto.

Born in Wallacetown, Dunwich Township, Elgin County, Ontario, a son to Alexander Cameron Urquhart and Sarah McCallum, he attended public school in Wallacetown until 13 years of age and then spent years working with his father, a pioneer tailor and storekeeper in Wallacetown, who, born in Dingwall, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland, came to Canada in 1847.

At 21, he was appointed municipal clerk of the Township of Dunwich, and later became secretary of the Agricultural Society of West Elgin and secretary of the West Elgin Reform Association. He decided to enter law, and after passing the matriculation examination in 1881, he entered a law office in St. Thomas. In 1882 he entered a second law as a student. In 1886 he graduated from Osgoode Hall as barrister and solicitor, and entered into different partnerships over the next many years. One partnership was with his brother Daniel Urquhart.

He took a strong role in civic affairs, and was elected alderman in Toronto’s Ward 4 in 1900 and re-elected in 1901-1902, prior to being elected to the mayor’s chair for three successive years.