William Peyton Hubbard

William Peyton Hubbard (January 27, 1842 – April 30, 1935), a Toronto alderman from 1894 to 1914, was a popular and influential politician, nicknamed Cicero for his oratory; he was one of the first politicians of West African descent elected to office in Canada.

Early life Hubbard was born in a cabin in what were then the outskirts of Toronto, in a rural area called "the Bush" near the intersection of what are now Bloor Street and Bathurst Street. His parents were refugee American slaves who had escaped their plantation in Virginia and reached Canada in 1840 via the Underground Railroad. He invented and patented a successful commercial baker's oven, the Hubbard Portable Street Oven, which was marketed and sold by his younger brothers James Henry Hubbard and Charles Hubbard across North America. James later left for Britain where he became an organiser of large events, and supplied taxidermy specimens of Canadian wildlife for the 1886 Colonial and Indian Exhibition in South Kensington, London. Frederick Horniman bought many of the mounts, including the overstuffed walrus now the unofficial mascot of Horniman Museum in London. James eventually set up a business in Devil's Dyke in Brighton.

By his thirties, William Peyton Hubbard had married Julia Luckett. After having worked 16 years as a baker, he joined his uncle's horse-drawn livery taxi service. Regardless of which version is correct, Brown and Hubbard became friends and the publisher later encouraged Hubbard to seek public office. His lifelong friend was Anderson Ruffin Abbott, Canada's first black physician.

City politics Hubbard first sought public office in 1893 at the age of 51, running in Toronto's Ward 4, where he lost by 7 votes. Encouraged, he ran again in Ward 4 in 1894 and was elected to represent the quiet, tree-lined ward of grand homes; it was one of the wealthiest and whitest wards in the city (encompassing an area between University Avenue and Bathurst Street). He was elected to city council and the Toronto Board of Control a total of 5 times in his career. He also presented a petition to City Council calling for an end to "attacks on the Jewish religion" by anti-Semitic street preachers.

Hubbard joined with Sir Adam Beck to advocate a publicly owned hydroelectricity utility system in the province and led efforts to create the publicly owned Toronto Hydro-Electric System. He is buried in the Toronto Necropolis. The City of Toronto's William Peyton Hubbard Award For Race Relations was established in 1989 and is awarded annually. Recipients have included Leonard Braithwaite, QC, George Elliot Clarke, Dub Poet Lillian Allen, and former Ontario cabinet minister Alvin Curling. A historical plaque commemorating Hubbard is located in front of his former home at 660 Broadview Avenue; it is now named Hubbard House and houses several classrooms for the Montcrest School. Hubbard Park, located at 562 Gerrard Street, at Broadview Avenue was opened in 2016 in a ceremony in front of an audience that included 16 of Hubbard's descendants.

Cultural depictions Hubbard was portrayed as a member of the Board of Control in episode 13 of season 9 ("Colour Blinded") (February 8, 2016) of the Canadian television period drama Murdoch Mysteries by the actor Rothaford Gray. In the episode, he comes to the defence of an innocent black man, who has been racially profiled by the Toronto police. He appeared again in episode 16 of season 9 ("Bl**dy H*ll") (March 7, 2016), now as an Alderman.

Hubbard was portrayed in episode 8 of season 3 ("Ward of the Roses") (November 11, 2019) of the Canadian television period drama Frankie Drake Mysteries by the actor Neville Edwards.

Biography A biography, Against All Odds, was published in 1986 and written by his great-grandson Stephen L. Hubbard. Stephen W. Burns - 2,476 Edward Hanlan (incumbent) - 1,345 Thomas Roberts - 384

1901 Fourth Ward (Spadina) Thomas Urquhart - 3,191 William Burns (incumbent) - 2,680 William Peyton Hubbard (incumbent) - 2,673 James Crane (incumbent) - 2,500 Alex R. Williamson - 1,688 Samuel Platt - 740 At the first city council meeting following the election, Hubbard was one of four aldermen chosen to sit on the Toronto Board of Control

1902 Fourth Ward (Spadina) Thomas Urquhart - 3,280 William Burns (incumbent) -2,803 James Crane (incumbent) - 2,709 William Peyton Hubbard (incumbent) - 2,496 Alex R. Williamson - 1,830 Edmund Schilling - 254

1903 Fourth Ward (Spadina) William Burns (incumbent) -2,770 William Peyton Hubbard (incumbent) - 2,585 Dr. William S. Harrison - 2,582 Stephen Wellesley Burns - 2,469 Alex R. Williamson - 1,731 Lieut-Col. Norman F. Paterson - 1,535 Edmund Schilling - 258

1913 Ward 1 (Riverdale) William D. Robbins - 4,030 Albert Edwin Walton - 3,789 William Peyton Hubbard - 3,611 William John Saunderson (incumbent) - 1,935 William Edward Orr - 1,209 Frank Britton - 602 (top 3 candidates elected)