37) Harold William Walker: Elected mayor for the City of Welland in 1946 & 1947

Vital statistics

Birth: February 21, 1907, at Windermere, England

Death: July 6, 1989 at Welland, Ontario, Canada (age 82)

Burial place: Pleasantview Memorial Gardens

Parents: Harold William / Isabella (née West)

Spouse: Margaret Gladys (née Manley)

Children: Mary Wilson / Dr. William J. / Muriel / Donald C.

Occupation: Contractor / Roofer

Religion: Anglican

Political affiliation: Liberal

Community affiliations: Welland County Hospital Board / Water Commission / Hydro Commission / President of the Welland Optimist Club / Welland Parks and Recreation Board

Profile

Harold William Walker was born on February 21, 1907 at Windermere in England, to Harold and Isabella (née West) Walker. When he was only two the family immigrated to Canada, settling in Welland in 1909. He was educated at the public schools here, and then at fourteen years old found employment in all kinds of construction work on the Welland Canal, with work on the locks, bridges, and viaduct. In fact he was working at the time of the “great crash” when Lock 6 at Thorold collapsed and he participated in rescuing several men who were trapped in the debris of 500 tons of steel. It was in 1929 when he was twenty two years old that he partnered with his brothers and formed a roofing company known as the Walker Brothers which became a very successful Welland business that undertook all kinds of rigging and roofing contracts, not only in Welland but also further afield. They sub-contracted the erection and painting of emergency landing fields from Vancouver to Ottawa in 1937 and 1938, for example. They also “erected and painted radio towers all across Canada, and have roofed such plants as the John Deere Welland Works, Atlas Steels, and many others.” When they began the business it was just the three Walker brothers, but they grew to eventually employ 50-100 workers.

He was first elected as a councillor for Welland in 1942, winning three straight elections until WWII ended. At the end of 1945 the extremely popular mayor Thomas Henry “Harry” Lewis stepped down from the mayor’s position to serve in the Ontario legislature, which was the opening for Harold to become mayor. He did face a very tough election though, defeating two other popular candidates with a vote of 1,615 to Harry Wallace Diffin’s 1,519 and Norman J. Penwarden’s 1,208. An editorial called his election a popular choice that most would be happy with, and noted that Harold was a man who had made his own way in life. “The success he now enjoys as a business man is the result of his own hard work and the application of native intelligence and determination to the task at hand. These qualifications will serve him well in the capacity of chief magistrate as he deals with the postwar problems facing this growing city.” He was also “Approachable and friendly, he can understand the problems of the ordinary citizen as well as the difficulties and aspirations of those who have to shoulder greater responsibilities in the industrial and commercial life of the community.”

When he ran unopposed for mayor for 1947, he ran a new year’s greeting in the paper that said “The co-operation of all municipal boards and citizens will help to make 1947 a banner year for Welland.” A later editorial said that this idea “is one he gave expression to, both in public and in private, on a number of occasions during the past year. The mayor is a member ex officio of various administrative bodies besides the city council, and part of his responsibility is to try to co-ordinate their work with the policies of the council. He realizes that as a single representative he can only do so much in encouraging co-operation. After all, the greater responsibility for this rests upon the other members of the different boards. Mayor Walker has given a commendable lead in advocating a closer relationship between the administrative bodies of the municipality.”

He decided to step down from municipal politics and to go into the Ontario legislature, the same path that Harry Lewis took. He was elected in the Welland riding as a Liberal and served from 1948 to 1951. In early 1948 the new city council presented him the gavel he wielded during his two years as mayor, and Mayor Diffin said “It was the symbol of your authority and is given to you in appreciation of your services as mayor, and your five years in council.” Harold said “I will always remember the times – sometimes pleasant, sometimes trying – that a public servant has… I’m sure Mr. Mayor, you will have close co-operation from your council. Co-operation in city administration makes duties that much more simple.”

It was 1929, the year he founded the Walker Bros. company, that he also got married to Margaret (née Manley), and they had four children together. They lived at 62 Pine St. Harold also had an interest in farming, more as a hobby than a career, but he owned a farm of 30 acres which had fruit trees and he also bred pigs and chickens there.

Harold died on July 6, 1989 at the Welland County General Hospital, he was 82 years old and was survived by his wife and four children. After his death, the then-current MPP for Welland Peter Kormos said this about Harold: “His reputation was that of a straight shooter, someone who did not mince words and who called it the way he saw it.”

Sources

Coombs, Albert Ernest, “History of the Niagara Peninsula” (1950), 305-309.
“Former mayor is dead at 81.” Evening Tribune, July 7, 1989.
“Mayor Advocates Co-Operation.” Welland-Port Colborne Evening Tribune, January 3, 1947.
“Tribute paid to former mayor.” Evening Tribune, July 11, 1989.
“Welland’s Mayoralty Contest.” Welland-Port Colborne Evening Tribune, December 4, 1945.