List of mayors of Markham, Ontario

This is a list of mayors of the city of Markham, Ontario as well as reeves of Markham Village and Township of Markham

York County Era (1850-1971) Following the passage of the Baldwin Act in 1849 (now Municipal Incorporation Act) the Home District was abolished and local governments were created. The Village of Markham (a police village called Markham Village) was formed in 1850 (with York County, Ontario) and a local council led by a reeve.

From 1850 to 1873 the reeve was appointed position. On November 20, 1872, the Warden of York County signed the By-law of Incorporation, which resulted in the election of the reeve (and Council) for the Village of Markham.

1. Amos Wright 1850 2. David Reesor 1851 3. George P Dickson 1852 4. Henry Miller 1853-1855 5. David Reesor 1856-57 6. William Marr Button 1858 - Lieutenant Colonel of the 1st York Light Dragoons (now The Governor General's Horse Guards) and grandson of Captain John Button, founder of the 1st York Light Dragoons (Button's Troop) 7. David Reesor 1859-1860 8. William Marr Button 1861-1863 9. John Bowman 1864-1865 10. William Marr Button 1866 11. John Bowman 1867 12. William Marr Button 1868-1873 - last unelected reeve of the village of Markham before 1873 13. James Robinson 1874-1878 - first elected reeve of the village 14. William Eakin 1879-1882 15. Thomas Williamson 1883 16. David James 1884-1886 17. Robert Bruce 1887-1888 18. Anthony Forster 1889-1892 19. Jonathan Slater 1893-1896 20. Walter Scott 1897-1898 21. James Laurie 1899 22. Arthur Quantz 1900 23. James Dimma 1901-1902 24. Abner Summerfeldt 1903-1904 25. Jonathan Slater 1905-1907 26. William Henry Lapp 1908–1909 27. Jonathan Nigh 1910-1916 28. George P. Padget 1917-1923 29. Wesley Gohn 1924-1932 30. George P. Padget 1933-1936 31. Orville Heisey 1938-1943 32. Charles H. Hooper 1944-1947 33. William W. Griffin 1948-1949 34. Winfred Timbers 1950-1953 35. Alfred DeMasurier 1954-1956 36. William L. Clark 1957-1960 37. Alma Walker 1961-1967 - last reeve of the Village of Markham and first female reeve of the village

After 1968, Markham Village became the Township of Markham with council now led by a mayor:

38. Alma Walker 1968-1970 - Mayor - first mayor and first female mayor

Reeves of Markham Village 1872-1968

James Spleight 1872-1882 Garnet R. Vanzant 1883-1884, 1888, 1890 James Robinson 1885-1887 William Hamilton Hall 1889, 1891-1892 John Jerman 1893-1894 Fred C. Ash 1895 Dr Wesley Robinson 1896 Thomas H. Spleight 1897, 1906-1910 Fred Underhill 1898-1899 R.C. Tefft 1900, 1911-1912 Edward H. Wilson 1901 Henry C. Marr 1902, 1904 E.H. Wilson 1903, 1905 Robert A. Fleming 1913-1919 Dr T. H. Hassard 1920 Fred Gowland 1921-1922 Arthur Ferrier Wilson 1923-1925, 1930 George W. Wilson 1926-1929 Frank Nighswander 1932-1933 Albert Wideman 1933-1937 Orville B. Heisey 1938-1943 - Proprietor - Unionville Planing Mill Frank A. Burkholder 1944-1946 Charles W. Reesor 1947-1949 Edward Reeve 1950-1951 Joseph V Fry 1952-1961 Alma Walker 1962-1968

Mayors of Markham Village 1969-1970 Alma Walker 1969-1970

York Region Era (1971-)

Post war changes and the rapid urban growth of Toronto led to the shrinking of York County and gave rise to the establishment of the Regional Municipality of York (Regional Municipality of York Act RSO). Following the creation of York Region in 1971, the Town of Markham was incorporated by the larger Township of Markham Village, annexing the smaller villages of Unionville, Ontario and Thornhill, Ontario (portion east of Yonge Street) into the new local government. A new Town Council was created (replacing the councils of Markham Village, Unionville and Thornhill) and led by the following mayors:

39. Anthony Roman 1970-1984 - last Mayor of the Township and first Mayor of the Town of Markham 40. Carole Bell 1984-1988 41. Anthony Roman 1988-1992 42. Frank Scarpitti 1992-1994 - appointed following the death of Roman 43. Don Cousens 1994-2006 44. Frank Scarpitti 2006–present - last town mayor and first city mayor

Deputy Mayors and Reeves David Reesor 1850 Henry Miller 1851 Alexander Hunter 1852 John Reesor 1853-1854 George Pringle 1856-1857 William Trudgeon 1858 Robert Marsh 1859, 1861 William Button 1860 Archibald Barker 1862 John Bowman 1863 James Gormley 1864-1865 James Robinson 1866 James Bowman 1867 John Lane 1868-1875 William Milliken 1876 - Postmaster - Milliken Postal Village"History of Toronto and County of York, Ontario:Biographical Notices", 1885, p. 299 Benjamin F. Reesor 1878-1881 David James 1882-1883 Robert Bruce 1884-1886 Anthony Forster 1887-1888 H.B. Schmidt 1889-1891 Jonathan Slater 1892 Walter Scott 1893-1896 James Lawrie 1897 Arthur Quantz 1898-1899 James Dimma 1900 John Eckardt 1901 Abner Summerfeldt 1902, 1917 George Morrison 1903-1905 W.H. Lapp 1906–1907 Jonathan Nigh 1908-1909 George B. Padget 1910-1916 John A. Mitchell 1918-1921 Wesley V. Gohn 1922-1923 Robert A. Smith 1924, 1931-1933 John R. Campbell 1925-1927 Reuben L. Stiver 1928-1930 William L. Clark 1934, 1944-1945, 1954-1956 James Rennie 1935-1936 Charles H. Hooper 1937-1943, 1963 Albert Reesor 1946 Dalton Rummey 1947-1948, 1950-1951 Winfred Timbers 1949 Alfred E. James 1952 Alfred LeMasurier 1953 Donald M. Deacon 1957 Wilfred R. Dean 1958-1960 I. Lawson Mumberson 1961-1962 Stewart T. Rumble 1964-1965 S.J. Gadsby 1967-1968 Anthony Roman 1969-1970 Thomas Williamson - was a township councillor and later reeve Ron Dancey - later served as Councillor in Brant, Ontario Ronald Moran 1980s-1991 - served as Regional Councillor for Markham Frank Scarpitti 1991-1992 Carole Bell 1994-1996 Frank Scarpitti 1997–2006 Jim Jones 2006-2007 Jack Heath 2007–2018 Don Hamilton 2018-present

Notable reeves and mayors

Several reeves and mayors of Markham went on to serve in higher elected office after (and before) their terms in Markham:

Reesor served as a legislative councillor in the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada and later in the Senate of Canada. Wright served as a MLA in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada, MP in the House of Commons of Canada, as well as federal Indian Agent and Crown Agent of Ontario. Roman served as Chair of York Region Council and was an MP in the House of Commons of Canada before becoming mayor. Cousens served a provincial cabinet minister and MPP in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario before becoming mayor. Eakin served as Warden of York County, Ontario, later becoming a MLA and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories.

List of mayors of Markham, Ontario

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