HISTORY OF COUNTY WARDENS
County Council is made up of all the mayors and deputy mayors of all 16 member municipalities. The Warden is the head of government for the County and is elected by his or her peers on County Council. In 2010 County Council changed the County’s procedures to make the Office of Warden a two-year term. The warden is elected at an ‘Inaugural Meeting’ of County Council held in December in the first and the third years of every term of Council.
Some of the Warden’s responsibilities include:
- presiding over and acting as Head of County Council
- speaking publicly on matters affecting the County of Simcoe
- serving on external boards and agencies
Simcoe County was first known as Simcoe District. The first two wardens of Simcoe County were J.A. Irving who served in 1843 and James Dallas who served in 1844-45. Both these wardens were appointed to the position by the Crown. It was an Act of the Crown in 1841 that made the warden, clerk, treasurer, surveyor, and other officers nominees (appointments) of the Crown. Within a short time, amendments placed the appointments in the purview of the municipal councils themselves.
County Council elected Basil Clarke (Mayor of the Township of Ramara) to his first term as Warden during it’s Inaugural Ceremony on December 13, 2022.
Following is a complete list of Simcoe County Wardens:
Year | Name | Municipality |
---|---|---|
2022-2024 | Basil Clarke | Township of Ramara |
2020-2022 | George Cornell | Tiny Township |
2018-2020 | George Cornell | Tiny Township |
2016-2018 (Resigned August 22, 2018) | Gerry Marshall | Penetanguishene |
2014-2016 | Gerry Marshall | Penetanguishene |
2012-2014 | Cal Patterson | Wasaga Beach |
2010-2012 | Cal Patterson | Wasaga Beach |
2009 | Tony Guergis | Springwater |
2008 | Tony Guergis | Springwater |
2007 | Tony Guergis | Springwater |
2006 | Terry Geddes | Collingwood |
2005 | Dennis Roughley | Bradford West Gwillimbury |
2004 | George MacDonald | Midland |
2003 | George MacDonald | Midland |
2002 | Thomas V. Garry | Ramara Township |
2001 | Robert Davis | Essa Township |
2000 | Robert Davis | Essa Township |
1999 | Helen Coutts | Springwater Township |
1998 | Garfield Dunlop | Severn Township |
1997 | Jack Hunter | Tay Township |
1996 | John Brown | Springwater Township |
1995 | Joan Sutherland | New Tecumseth |
1994 | Robert Drury | Oro-Medonte Township |
1993 | Ross Hastings | Tiny Township |
1992 | Stewart Fisher | Innisfil |
1991 | Nancy Keefe | Midland |
1990 | Donald Bell | Flos Township |
1989 | Harry Adams | Vespra Township |
1988 | Ken Knox | Elmvale |
1987 | Eldon Bell | Stayner |
1986 | Edward McDermott | Adjala Township |
1985 | John Blaze Moreau | Port McNicoll |
1984 | E. Ross Whiteside | Essa Township |
1983 | Arthur Stewart | Penetanguishene |
1982 | Russell Cooper | Rama Township |
1981 | John L. Fennell | West Gwillimbury Township |
1980 | Allan K. McLean | Oro Township |
1979 | William A. Gibbins | Innisfil Township |
1978 | Morris Darby | Tiny Township |
1977 | Allan Glassford | Tecumseth Township |
1976 | Orville Hughes | West Gwillimbury Township |
1975 | Edgar Currie | Nottawasaga Township |
1974 | Earl Elliott | Flos Township |
1973 | James A. Wales | Tosorontio Township |
1972 | Lloyd A. Pridham | Sunnidale Township |
1971 | R. Bruce Stewart | Bradford |
1970 | George F. Davis | Essa Township |
1969 | Arnold Vancise | Nottawasaga Township |
1968 | Alex C. McAuley | Elmvale |
1967 | George MacKay | Oro Township |
1966 | George McCague | Alliston |
1965 | Herbert Hughes | West Gwillimbury Township |
1964 | Dalton Jermey | Medonte Township |
1963 | A.L. DeConkey | Matchedash Township |
1962 | J. C. N. McDonald | Orillia Town |
1961 | Montcalm Maurice | Tiny Township |
1960 | George Lisk | Tecumseth Township |
1959 | W. J. Patton | Nottawasaga Township |
1958 | D. A. Evans | Bradford |
1957 | Fisher Ganton | Medonte Township |
1956 | John J. Small | Adjala Township |
1955 | Roy N. Hickling | Vespra Township |
1954 | Smith Campbell | Oro Township |
1953 | W.T. Reed | Orillia Township |
1952 | Jimmy W. Hart | Barrie |
1951 | George H. Shepherd | Creemore |
1950 | W. R. Benson | Penetanguishene |
1949 | C. T. S. Evans | Bradford |
1948 | G. Walter Middleton | Flos Township |
1947 | D.K. Harvey | Tecumseth Township |
1946 | Ernie G. Miller | Coldwater |
1945 | H. M. Barker | Sunnidale Township |
1944 | G. D. Banting | Essa Township |
1943 | Orville E. Todd | Innisfil Township |
1942 | Albert A. Toner | Flos Township |
1941 | George Barr | Medonte Township |
1940 | Percy A. Neff | Nottawasaga Township |
1939 | Walter E. Downey | Vespra Township |
1938 | George Patterson | Port McNicoll |
1937 | C. D. Stewart | Barrie |
1936 | John S. Drinkwater | Orillia Town |
1935 | H. J. Crawford | Oro Township |
1934 | Edward Dutton | Victoria Harbour |
1933 | Isaac Scott | Creemore |
1933 | W. J. Cunningham | Alliston (Acting Warden) |
1932 | John Carlton | Beeton |
1931 | George W. Glover | Nottawasaga Township |
1930 | W. A. Tom | Collingwood |
1930 | H. H. Creswicke | Barrie |
1929 | Charles J. Gratrix | Tay Township |
1928 | E. J. Lambert | Stayner |
1927 | A. A. Cunningham | Orillia Town |
1926 | George L. Davis | Essa Township |
1925 | D. McKinlay | Oro Township |
1924 | J. E. Coombs | Bradford |
1923 | C. H. Eplett | Coldwater |
1922 | J. J. D. Banting | Essa Township |
1921 | J. J. McKnight | Tottenham |
1920 | Amos Train | Flos Township |
1919 | Eben Todd | Innisfil Township |
1918 | Harry Carter | Tecumseth Township |
1917 | Digby Horrell | Midland |
1916 | James Martin | Sunnidale Township |
1915 | A. P. Potter | Tottenham |
1914 | William Wood | West Gwillimbury Township |
1913 | J. T. Simpson | Tiny Township |
1912 | A. E. Scanlon | Bradford |
1911 | James Moore | Tosorontio Township |
1910 | Arthur C. Garden | Barrie |
1909 | Richard Bell | Essa Township |
1908 | D. C. Barr | Collingwood |
1907 | William Alves Boys | Barrie |
1906 | Joseph Whiteside | Alliston |
1905 | R. H. Jupp | Orillia Town |
1904 | G. W. Bruce | Collingwood |
1903 | R. Murphy | Tosorontio Township |
1902 | D. Quinlan | Vespra Township |
1901 | C. E. Wright | Penetanguishene |
1900 | W. H. Hamilton | Nottawasaga Township |
1899 | Patrick Ronan | Adjala Township |
1898 | Thomas Devitt | Medonte Township |
1897 | W. A. Sneath | Flos Township |
1896 | James S. Boddy | Bradford |
1895 | James Ross | Oro Township |
1894 | R. J. Fletcher | Barrie |
1893 | Joseph Wright | Beeton |
1892 | Walter Lawson | Tay Township |
1891 | Jonathan Sissons | Vespra Township |
1890 | John Ross | Innisfil Township |
1889 | Charles McGibbon | Penetanguishene |
1888 | William Switzer | Sunnidale Township |
1887 | John Stewart | Alliston |
1886 | Arthur Craig | Medonte Township |
1885 | Robert Paton | Sunnidale Township |
1884 | David Dunn | Essa Township |
1883 | G. M. Evans | West Gwillimbury Township |
1882 | James Quinn | Orillia Town |
1881 | O. J Phelps | Flos Township |
1880 | Christopher Cooke | Tecumseth Township |
1879 | Charles Cameron | Collingwood |
1878 | David Dunn | Essa Township |
1877 | W. N. Rutledge | Medonte Township |
1876 | William McDermott | Tecumseth Township |
1875 | John C. Steele | Oro Township |
1874 | Thomas Atkins | West Gwillimbury Township |
1873 | John Hogg | Collingwood |
1872 | George Davis | Essa Township |
1871 | W. D. Ardagh | Barrie |
1870 | W. D. Ardagh | Barrie |
1869 | W. D. Ardagh | Barrie |
1868 | John Kean | Orillia Township |
1867 | Thomas R. Ferguson | Innisfil Township |
1866 | Thomas R. Ferguson | Innisfil Township |
1865 | Thomas R. Ferguson | Innisfil Township |
1864 | Thomas R. Ferguson | Innisfil Township |
1863 | Thomas R. Ferguson | Innisfil Township |
1862 | Thomas R. Ferguson | Innisfil Township |
1861 | T. D. McConkey | Barrie |
1860 | T. D. McConkey | Barrie |
1859 | George McManus | Mono Township |
1858 | Thomas R. Ferguson | Innisfil Township |
1857 | John Craig | Medonte Township |
1856 | James Sanson | Orillia Township |
1855 | James Sanson | Orillia Township |
1854 | James Sanson | Orillia Township |
1853 | James Sanson | Orillia Township |
1852 | William Armson | West Gwillimbury Township |
1851 | William Armson | West Gwillimbury Township |
1850 | William Armson | West Gwillimbury Township |
1849 | William Armson | West Gwillimbury Township |
1848 | William Armson | West Gwillimbury Township |
1847 | William Armson | West Gwillimbury Township |
1846 | William Armson | West Gwillimbury Township |
1845 | James Dallas | Appointed by Governor-General |
1844 | James Dallas | Appointed by Governor-General |
1843 | Jacob Æmilius Irving | Appointed by Governor-General |