Robert Maxwell Morrow (1946-2018) *71

was a Canadian politician, who served as mayor of Hamilton, Ontario from 1982 to 2000. He was the longest-serving mayor in the city's history. Born in Hamilton, Morrow first won election in 1968 as alderman for Ward One. However, he was disqualified because his name was not on the voter's list. In a subsequent by-election, his father, George Morrow, secured the seat. Bob ran again in 1970, winning without legal difficulty. In 1972, he won a seat on the Board of Control, a body that was elected citywide. In the following three elections, he placed first in the multi-candidate race, automatically becoming deputy mayor. When the board was abolished in 1980, Morrow temporarily left municipal politics. He unsuccessfully ran as a Progressive Conservative candidate in the 1981 provincial election in Hamilton West, losing to provincial Liberal leader Stuart Smith.

In 1982, Morrow won the first of six mayoral elections, defeating incumbent William Powell. His last few victories were only challenged by minor candidates, with Morrow regularly receiving in excess of 75 per cent of the vote. After Morrow refused to proclaim Hamilton's first Gay Pride Day in 1991, the Ontario Human Rights Commission ruled that Morrow had discriminated against gays and lesbians, and he was fined $5,000 and forced to issue a proclamation in 1995. In 2000, following the amalgamation of the City of Hamilton with neighbouring towns, Morrow lost the election to Ancaster mayor Robert E. Wade. While Morrow again won the old City of Hamilton, he did not win the newly added boroughs.

Post a comment / Comments guidelines