38) Harry Wallace Diffin: Elected mayor for the City of Welland in 1948, 1949 & 1950
Vital statistics
Birth: September 29, 1910 at Welland, Ontario, Canada
Death: December 30, 2003 at Welland, Ontario, Canada (age 93)
Burial place: Holy Cross Cemetery (Find a Grave)
Parents: Jay Clarke / Elva (née McSuft)
Spouse: Marguerite Ann (née Schefter)
Children: Gerald / Denise / Valerie
Occupations: Manager / Fuel dealer
Religion: Catholic
Community affiliations: First Chair of Notre Dame Family / Welland Optimist Club / Knights of Columbus / Welland Industrial and Development Commission / Welland Welfare Board / Holy Name Society / St. Kevin’s Church Committee
Profile
Harry Wallace Diffin was born on September 29, 1910 in Welland to Jay and Elva Diffin. We recently profiled Jay Clarke Diffin, who was the 28th chief magistrate for Welland, elected as mayor in 1921. Harry, his son, would also become mayor for Welland in 1948, 1949 & 1950, in addition to numerous elections as councillor that added up to more than 31 years of service on municipal council, the most of anyone in Welland.
In 1987 he was celebrated as Welland’s “Man of the Half Century” and there appeared in the paper numerous articles that provided many details on his life, along with his own memories from when he was young and growing up in Welland. He recollected Welland’s “Toonerville Trolley” which was a streetcar along East Main and King Streets. It connected the Michigan Central Railway depot on King Street and the Grand Trunk Station on East Main. The old and long-gone streetcar, at five cents a ride, helped meet all trains of which there were plenty serving Welland: “one could board a Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo railway car at a desired time in the morning; lunch and shop or attend a theatre in Buffalo, and be back home by rail in time for supper. Outings to Hamilton on the T.H. and B. were also popular.” Harry Diffin also frequented the Niagara, St. Catharines and Toronto rail line to get to St. Catharines and Ridley College. He also recalled the recreation activity in both the river and canal. In those days motorized pleasure craft were allowed and were common on both waterways. Skating and hockey was also popular in the winter on the frozen river.
The pride of the community at that time was the Reeta Hotel and Theatre, built by Welland entrepreneur Sam Lambert. The theatre (later known as the Capitol and which was in the same location as the current Civic Square), was one of the finest in Niagara and offered stage shows, magicians, biblical musical dramas, and some early shows by the Welland Little Theatre. Harry remembered the night he experienced when, with his parents, his father being a prominent alderman and one-time mayor, he was a guest of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Lambert in one of the theatre’s luxury boxes.
He attended four elementary schools in Welland, and then while the family was in Florida for two years the Miami Junior High School. When the family came back to Welland, Harry went to the aforementioned Ridley College, and then Harry was a student at Welland High; in 1928 he played for the first football team to represent the school in competitions and the club won the district championship.
In his career he continued his father’s business managing the Diffin Construction and Supply Company, which over time he helped move into the fuel business, coal then oil.
1944 was when Harry was first elected as a councillor, at age thirty four. Despite his father’s service it hadn’t occurred to him necessarily to follow in his footsteps, and he was somewhat shy, but many prominent taxpayers urged and nominated him until he decided to put his energies into municipal politics. It was his first attempt at getting elected as a councillor and he led the poll out of a field of eighteen. He served eighteen terms as a councillor between the years of 1944 and 1985, and three elections as mayor in 1948, 1949 & 1950. His service on council totaled thirty one years and six months. Harry recollected major advancements he was involved in in that long time span: policies easing the housing shortage after the war, getting Welland selected as the home for Niagara College, moving to a new City Hall site in 1959, relocating the working Welland Canal east and away from downtown in 1972, creating Prince Charles Drive to ease traffic congestion, and commissioning Harold Osborne, whose expertise had been utilized in Washington D.C. and other US cities, to design and implement a traffic plan for Welland in the 1950s. That traffic plan was described as the first system of its kind in Ontario and it remained in effect ever since with only minor modifications. Harry said after recollecting those accomplishments “All in all Welland has been controversial, but vibrant, colorful, and progressive… And most assuredly, it has been quite some shakes for a community in the modest range of 45,000 people.”
As mentioned, on February 21, 1987 Harry was celebrated as Welland’s “Man of the Half Century.” The event took place at the Polish Community Centre, with 250 people paying $25 each to attend. Here is part of his address: “I have always had a great faith in the future of this community, that faith hasn’t changed. It’s been shaken a bit at times – it’s been shaken in the last two or three years. I know so many of our young people who have had to leave this community coming out of the school system to go to other centres to be employed. Many of them I knew personally and I know they would be great citizens of this community. They were lost to us, I think, forever. I feel very bad about this… In some measure, we have failed.” At a fete celebrating his legacy he could not help but empathize with those citizens who had been affected by the loss of industry in Welland, which was hitting hard in the 1980s. For Harry, who grew up in the 20s and came of age in the 30s, 40s, and 50s, growth in industry was continuous and the loss of jobs in the 70s, 80s, and 90s would have hit him particularly hard.
Many prominent politicians had glowing words for him at the ceremony. Former mayor Armour McCrae: “Harry was probably the most intelligent person, finance-wise, the city had ever seen up to then, and probably up to today.” Former Welland MP Dr. Victor Railton: “Of all the people I know, Harry Diffin exemplifies the epitome of good civic government and the best of production of a political figure. He has the capability and intelligence that would have taken him to any level at all. The point is, he elected to stay in Welland, and we have been the happy recipients.” Former MP Donald Tolmie: “Harry Diffin had eternal optimism and, also, he was a man of conviction – he always took a stand. Harry is an inspiration. By his example, he has influenced young people to get involved in politics, which is still a very noble profession. That is your legacy to this city, Harry Diffin – your lasting legacy.”
Harry died on December 30, 2003 at his home in Welland at the age of 93. He was survived by his children and his wife Marguerite, with whom he had just celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. As mentioned in Jay’s profile, in 1962 Fifth Ave was renamed to Diffin Dr. in honour of Jay and Harry. Also, in 2002 Welland city council named the Harry W. Diffin Industrial Park in his honour, located on the west side of Highway 140 between Silverthorn Street and Buchner Road. He said “It’s nice to be remembered, it’s nice to see your name live on like that.”
Sources
- “Community honors Diffin as politician, teacher and friend.” Evening Tribune, February 23, 1987.
- “Friendly competition marked their long political careers.” Evening Tribune, February 21, 1987.
- “Harry Diffin, former mayor, dead at 93.” The Tribune, January 2, 2003.
- “Harry Diffin’s Council Terms.” Evening Tribune, February 17, 1987.
- “Reliability, Dedication Earned Trust.” Evening Tribune, February 17, 1987.
- “Welland pours out its affection for Harry Diffin.” Evening Tribune, February 23, 1987.
- “Welland’s ‘Man of the Half Century.’” Evening Tribune, February 17, 1987.
- “When You and I Were Younger, Harry.” Evening Tribune, February 17, 1987.