41) Gabriel Johnston Macoomb: Elected mayor for the City of Welland in 1958

Vital statistics

Birth: October 27, 1909 at Welland, Ontario, Canada

Death: March 5, 2000 at Welland, Ontario, Canada (age 90)

Burial place: Fonthill Cemetery (Find a Grave)

Parents: Henry Wonde / Margaret B. (née Johnston)

Spouse: Dorothy Eleanor (née Livingston)

Children: Margadell

Occupation: Barrister and solicitor

Religion: Anglican

Community affiliations: President of Welland Board of Trade / Welland Chamber of Commerce / Weland County General Hospital Board / People’s Warden of St. David’s Anglican Church / Welland Lions Club / People’s Warden of Holy Trinity Anglican Church / Welland Board of Education / City Councillor / President Welland County Bar Association / Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee

Profile

Gabriel Johnston Macoomb was born on October 27, 1909 in Welland to Henry and Margaret (née Johnston) Macoomb. Later described as the quintessential Wellander, he attended Central Public School and then Welland High. Practicing law was the only career he ever considered, following in the footsteps of his father Henry, who in 1899 passed the bar exam in Alabama and moved to Welland in 1904. The father and son actually practiced together for twenty one years. Gabriel studied at Osgoode Law School in Toronto (which is also where former mayor David James Thomas studied) and passed the bar exam in 1932. He practiced in Welland for 51 years, retiring in 1983.

He was elected as a councillor in 1954, 1955 and 1956, then when the extremely popular incumbent mayor Armour McCrae left for Toronto, was acclaimed as mayor in 1958 to preside in the years 1959 and 1960 (term limits had changed from one year to two years as noted in Armour McCrae’s profile). He was credited as giving satisfactory and progressive administration to the city. However he lost the next mayoral election in an ironic way. As noted in the previous profile on Armour McCrae, Welland annexed Crowland on January 1, 1961 (with Armour initiating the idea back in 1953), changing the population of Welland from 17,433 residents to over 36,000. Gabriel believed in the idea and was the head of the committee that made it happen. Crowland had a slightly larger population at the time, and many living there did not agree with the annexation. Just eight days after joining into the city of Welland, they voted in the municipal election by-and-large backing their reeve from Crowland, Michael Perenack, who won the election 6,740 votes to Macoomb’s 5,145. An editorial in the next day’s paper said “In many quarters there is genuine regret that Gabriel Macoomb was unsuccessful in the contest… He was head of the committee which successfully brought about addition of the annexed areas to the municipality and for him it seems an unkind fate which prevents him from remaining mayor of the city he helped to create.”

A long-lasting legacy Macoomb bequeathed to his city was the Rose Festival. He personally loved gardening and growing roses, the city’s official flower. On May 3, 1960 “Mayor G. J. Macoomb threw out the suggestion of staging a “Rose Festival” in the city… Mayor Macoomb pointed out that some years ago Welland was dubbed “The Rose City.” Noting that many cities across Canada and the U.S.A. conduct festivals eulogizing the symbol of their particular town, he felt it might be one way of bringing people into the city.” Gabriel was vice-chairman of the scheme to make the festival happen, which first took place in 1962 and then became an annual tradition. An editorial in the paper explained why Welland went together with roses: “One of the reasons for the success of rose culture in Welland is the character of the soil which is a clay loam. The climate is favourable to rose growing and stimulation for the hobby is provided by excellent displays in the parks operated by the Niagara Parks Commission.”

Gabriel was also an avid walker, and on “any given weekday he could be seen walking from his Parkway Drive residence to his downtown law office, then walking home in late afternoon.” One of his former law partners Douglas Houghton said “He was so intensely proud of Welland and the Welland community. I remember when I first came down to Welland… he took us around and showed us John Deere, showed us Union Carbide, showed us Stelco.” Gabriel died on March 5, 2000 at the Welland Hospital. Macoomb Dr. which is located north of Woodlawn Rd. was named in his honour.

Sources

  • “Capable Administration Chosen For New City.” Evening Tribune, January 10, 1961.
  • “Macoomb bids farewell to 51-year career.” Guardian Express, August 24, 1983.
  • “Retired lawyer took great pride in Welland.” The Tribune, March 7, 2000.
  • “Rose Festival Is Mayor’s Proposal.” Evening Tribune, May 4, 1960.
  • “Rose Festival Proposal Worth Strong Support.” Evening Tribune, May 10, 1962.
  • The Welland Historical Society, “What’s in a Name? The Origins of the Street Names for the City of Welland” (2005), 79.
41) Gabriel Johnston Macoomb: Elected mayor for the City of Welland in 1958