1884 Calgary municipal election

The 1884 Calgary municipal election was held on December 3, 1884 to elect a Mayor and four Councillors to sit on the first Calgary Town Council from December 4, 1884 to January 18, 1886 (Or possibly April 3, 1886, or possibly October 21, 1886).^[1]

Background[]

Calgary was officially incorporated as Town of Calgary under provisions of the newly passed Northwest Territories Municipal Ordinance of 1884 on November 17, 1884.^[2]

Voting rights were provided to any male British subject over twenty-one years of age who are assessed on the last revised assessment roll with a minimum property value of $300.

The election was held under Multiple non-transferable vote where each elector was able to cast a ballot for the mayor and up to four ballots for separate councillors.^[3]

Length of Council Term[]

The first municipal council for the Town of Calgary was intended to sit from December 4, 1884 to January 18, 1886, however judicial interference by stipendiary magistrate Jeremiah Travis in the January 1886 election resulted in Territorial Ordinance 1-1886 "An Ordinance Respecting Municipal Matters in the Town of Calgary" voiding the results of the January 1886 election and declaring no council or mayor for the Town of Calgary exists.^[4]

The City of Calgary recognizes George Murdoch as Mayor of the Town of Calgary from December 4, 1884 to October 21, 1886, which implies the City either recognizes Murdoch as the winner of the January 1886 election, or recognizes Murdoch remained Mayor until the November 1886 election.^[5]

Results[]

The results of the elections, as reported in the December 3, 1884 edition of The Calgary Herald, were as follows:

Mayor[]

Candidate	Votes	Percent
George Murdoch	202	92.66%
E. Redpath	16	7.34%
Total	218	–

Councillors[]

1884 Calgary municipal election: Councillor
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	Elected
	-		183	83.94%	Y
	-		179	82.11%	Y
	-		170	77.98%	Y
	-		147	67.46%	Y
	-		103	47.25%
	-	Archibald Grant	52	23.85%
	-	J. Jarrell	56	11.93%
Source(s) ^[6] Election was held under Multiple non-transferable vote where each elector was able to cast a ballot for the mayor and up to four ballots for separate councillors.

1885 Council By-election[]

Simon Jackson Hogg would resign from council effective May 20, 1885. A by-election was scheduled for June 17, 1885, and following nominations Isaac Sanford Freeze was acclaimed and installed June 10, 1885.^[7]

References[]

^ "The Contest. Murdoch Elected to the Mayor's Chair". The Calgary Herald. No. 14. December 3, 1884. p. 4. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
^ "Location and History Profile: City of Calgary" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. June 17, 2016. p. 15. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
^ Ordinances of the North-West Territories (1884 ed.). Regina, Canada: Queens Printer. p. 47-94. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
^ Ordinances of the Northwest Territories, Canada (1886 ed.). Regina, Canada: Regina : Government Printer. 1886. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
^ "Biographies of Calgary's Mayors" (PDF). calgary.ca. The City of Calgary. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 11, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
^ "The Contest. Murdoch Elected to the Mayor's Chair". The Calgary Herald. No. 14. December 3, 1884. p. 4. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
^ Hunter, Frederick. "THE MAYORS AND COUNCILS OF THE CORPORATION OF CALGARY". Roots Web. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2020. Isaac Sanford Freeze, (1st Term), by-election for duration of unexpired one-year Term originally scheduled for 17 June 1885 but acclamation declared upon close of nominations 10 June 1885, sworn 10 June 1885, assumed Office 10 June 1885, Installation 10 June 1885

Sources[]

Frederick Hunter: THE MAYORS AND COUNCILS OF THE CORPORATION OF CALGARY Archived March 3, 2020

[1886CalHerald-1] "The Contest. Murdoch Elected to the Mayor's Chair". The Calgary Herald. No. 14. December 3, 1884. p. 4. Retrieved 8 March 2020.

[AMACityProfiles-2] "Location and History Profile: City of Calgary" (PDF). Alberta Municipal Affairs. June 17, 2016. p. 15. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 25, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2016.

[OrdMunicipal-3] Ordinances of the North-West Territories (1884 ed.). Regina, Canada: Queens Printer. p. 47-94. Archived from the original on 19 March 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2020.

[4] Ordinances of the Northwest Territories, Canada (1886 ed.). Regina, Canada: Regina : Government Printer. 1886. Retrieved 9 March 2020.

[5] "Biographies of Calgary's Mayors" (PDF). calgary.ca. The City of Calgary. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 11, 2008. Retrieved March 14, 2020.

[6] "The Contest. Murdoch Elected to the Mayor's Chair". The Calgary Herald. No. 14. December 3, 1884. p. 4. Retrieved 8 March 2020.

[7] Hunter, Frederick. "THE MAYORS AND COUNCILS OF THE CORPORATION OF CALGARY". Roots Web. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2020. Isaac Sanford Freeze, (1st Term), by-election for duration of unexpired one-year Term originally scheduled for 17 June 1885 but acclamation declared upon close of nominations 10 June 1885, sworn 10 June 1885, assumed Office 10 June 1885, Installation 10 June 1885

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