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The Rose City rose. A nod to Windsor's City of Roses nickname. Original artwork by Windsor News.

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Rose City Roots · Timeline · City Hall

City Hall

1854 TO TODAY

How Windsor governed itself: the people, the votes, the fights, the buildings. Portraits shown here are the eighteen cleared for open reuse. More portraits are being added.

Second City Hall, Windsor, postcard about 1910
Second City Hall, about 1910. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Leddy Library. Public Domain. Place context only; not a mayor portrait.

How Windsor grew

  1. 1854 Village of Windsor. Incorporated as a village; S.S. Macdonell serves as reeve. Sources: City of Windsor: Previous Mayors · City of Windsor: History of Windsor
  2. 1858 Town of Windsor. Town status; Macdonell is the first town mayor. Sources: City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
  3. 1892 City of Windsor. City status. Oscar E. Fleming is the last town mayor and the first city mayor. Sources: City of Windsor: Previous Mayors · City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies
  4. 1935 / 1 January 1936 Border Cities amalgamation. The City of Windsor (Amalgamation) Act, 1935 merges Windsor, East Windsor (Ford City), Walkerville and Sandwich. A province-imposed Finance Commission runs refinancing. Walkerville opposed the Act. Sources: Kulisek and Price, Urban History Review 16:3 (1988) · City of Windsor: History of Windsor
  5. 1937 to 1958 Board of Control, then City Manager. An elected Board of Control of four controllers takes over financial management in 1937 after the Finance Commission winds up. By 1958 the Board is replaced by the City Manager form of government. Sources: Kulisek and Price, Urban History Review 16:3 (1988) · City of Windsor: Chief Administrative Officer (historical note)
  6. 1966 Annexation. Riverside, Ojibway and portions of the Sandwich townships enter Windsor. Sources: City of Windsor: History of Windsor · City of Windsor: Former Municipal Boundaries poster
  7. 1979 Ward aldermen. Electors favoured ward election of aldermen on 6 December 1976; City of Windsor Act, 1977 (No. 2); composition from 1 January 1979 is mayor at large plus at least one alderman per ward. Sources: City of Windsor Act, 1977 (No. 2) (Osgoode Digital Commons)
  8. 2003 Tecumseh land. Further boundary adjustment with Tecumseh creates the current city border. Sources: City of Windsor: History of Windsor
  9. 2010 Ten single-member wards. By-law 133-2009; in force for the 2010 municipal election. Sources: City of Windsor ward-boundaries page

Every mayor

Village reeve, town mayors and city mayors from the City of Windsor Previous Mayors list. 18 cleared portraits in use; 25 cards use a text placeholder until the City or Museum clears a file. Sandwich, Walkerville and Ford City / East Windsor councils before 1935 are not yet listed here as separate mayoral series.

J. and J. Dougall store, about 1860, an early drawing
J. and J. Dougall store, about 1860, an early drawing. This is the merchant's shop, not a portrait of Mayor James Dougall. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, University of Windsor Leddy Library (Walkerville Times Collection). Public domain.

James Dougall

1859 to 1861; 1867 to 1869 Town

Merchant and school-board chair. Tradition credits him with naming Windsor in 1836. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography records his role in the 1838 Patriot crisis and the Battle of Windsor.

Sources: Dictionary of Canadian Biography: Dougall, James · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Old Town Hall, in a 1917 postcard
Old Town Hall, in a 1917 postcard. Place context for Windsor's early civic buildings, not a portrait of Mark Richards. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Leddy Library. Public domain.

Mark Richards

1862 to 1863 Town

Town mayor, per the City of Windsor Previous Mayors list.

More on this mayor is coming as records are checked.

Sources: City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Old Town Hall, in a 1917 postcard
Old Town Hall, in a 1917 postcard. Place context for Windsor's early civic buildings, not a portrait of Donald Cameron. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Leddy Library. Public domain.

Donald Cameron

1870 to 1874 Town

Town mayor, per the City of Windsor Previous Mayors list.

More on this mayor is coming as records are checked.

Sources: City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Old Town Hall, in a 1917 postcard
Old Town Hall, in a 1917 postcard. Place context for Windsor's early civic buildings, not a portrait of William Scott. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Leddy Library. Public domain.

William Scott

1875 Town

Town mayor, per the City of Windsor Previous Mayors list.

More on this mayor is coming as records are checked.

Sources: City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Old Town Hall, in a 1917 postcard
Old Town Hall, in a 1917 postcard. Place context for Windsor's early civic buildings, not a portrait of Robert L. McGregor. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Leddy Library. Public domain.

Robert L. McGregor

1876 Town

Town mayor, per the City of Windsor Previous Mayors list.

More on this mayor is coming as records are checked.

Sources: City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Old Town Hall, in a 1917 postcard
Old Town Hall, in a 1917 postcard. Place context for Windsor's early civic buildings, not a portrait of John Coventry. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Leddy Library. Public domain.

John Coventry

1880 to 1882 Town

Town mayor, per the City of Windsor Previous Mayors list.

More on this mayor is coming as records are checked.

Sources: City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Old Town Hall, in a 1917 postcard
Old Town Hall, in a 1917 postcard. Place context for Windsor's early civic buildings, not a portrait of James H. (Joseph Hall) Beattie. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Leddy Library. Public domain.

James H. (Joseph Hall) Beattie

Town 1886 to 1888; City 1894 Town / City

Dry-goods merchant and lieutenant-colonel in the local militia. As city mayor he advocated a library, a cemetery and a new City Hall.

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Portrait of M. Twomey, merchant, Amherstburg
Belden atlas, 1881: M. Twomey, merchant, Amherstburg (public domain)

Michael Twomey

1889 Town

Town mayor, per the City of Windsor Previous Mayors list. The portrait is the Belden atlas plate of M. Twomey, merchant, Amherstburg; the link to Windsor's 1889 mayor rests on the Amherstburg street-name inventory (high confidence, not a signed Mayor of Windsor caption).

Sources: City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Portrait of Oscar E. Fleming
Who's Who in Canada, 1914 (public domain)

Oscar E. Fleming

Town 1891; City 1892 to 1893 Town / City

Last town mayor and first city mayor. King's Counsel; Essex Border Utilities Commission; Metropolitan General Hospital; Ontario Hydro-Electric system; Canadian Deep Waterways and Power Association. The Fleming Channel is named for him.

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Portrait of Daniel Willis Mason
The Canadian Album: Men of Canada, vol. 2, 1893 (public domain)

Daniel Willis Mason

1895 to 1896 City

Earlier mayor of Sandwich at 26. Served as Windsor mayor without prior alderman service.

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Portrait of John Davis
Essex County biographical record, 1905 (public domain)

John Davis

1897 to 1901 City

Five one-year terms, four by acclamation. Credited with strengthening city finances; director of the electric streetcar line; Chief Inspector of Distilleries for Canada from 1888.

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Old Town Hall, in a 1917 postcard
Old Town Hall, in a 1917 postcard. Place context for Windsor's early civic buildings, not a portrait of James F. Smyth. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Leddy Library. Public domain.

James F. Smyth

1902 City

Grocer who advocated a new City Hall. Odd Fellows; 21st Regiment paymaster.

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Old Town Hall, in a 1917 postcard
Old Town Hall, in a 1917 postcard. Place context for Windsor's early civic buildings, not a portrait of John W. Drake. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Leddy Library. Public domain.

John W. Drake

1903 to 1904 City

Acclaimed mayor. Raised taxes for public works. Fenian Raid veteran.

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Colonel Ernest S. Wigle in military uniform, from a 1931 family history plate
Colonel Ernest S. Wigle, in military uniform, from History of the Wigle Family and Their Descendants, 1931, figure 5. This is a military portrait, not a mayoral-robes likeness. The corner of another portrait on the same plate appears at the top. Public domain, via Internet Archive.

Ernest S. Wigle

1905 to 1909; 1937 to 1938 City

Bought land for Wigle Park (1906/08); parks board; first Boy Scout troop in Windsor; commanded the 18th Battalion CEF. Returned as mayor at 77 after amalgamation, as the Board of Control era began.

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
1931 Wigle family history plate, with Col. E. S. Wigle as figure 5
The 1931 plate. Col. E. S. Wigle is labelled as figure 5. History of the Wigle Family and Their Descendants, 1931. Public domain, via Internet Archive.
Portrait of John W. Hanna
Essex County biographical record, 1905 (public domain)

John W. Hanna

1910 to 1911 City

Mayor in the boom years that included the Michigan Central Railway tunnel under the Detroit River. Died in office on 14 February 1912; city schools and businesses closed for the funeral.

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Second City Hall, Windsor, about 1910
Second City Hall, about 1910, the civic building in use during James H. Shepherd's term as mayor. This is the hall, not a portrait. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Leddy Library. Public domain.

James H. Shepherd

1912 City

Eighteen years as alderman before the mayoralty. Moved the municipal centre from Sandwich Street to City Hall Park; advocated public ownership of the electric street railway and Niagara hydro.

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Second City Hall, Windsor, about 1910
Second City Hall, about 1910, the civic building in use during Henry Clay's term as mayor. This is the hall, not a portrait. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Leddy Library. Public domain.

Henry Clay

1913 to 1914 (resigned July 1914) City

Campaigned for Border Cities amalgamation about twenty years early; convened a lake-ports conference on the deep-waterway idea. Left for Clerk of the Supreme Court of Essex County.

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Second City Hall, Windsor, about 1910
Second City Hall, about 1910, the civic building in use during Frederick L. Howell's term as mayor. This is the hall, not a portrait. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Leddy Library. Public domain.

Frederick L. Howell

1914 City

Jeweler; on council from 1908. Completed Clay's remaining term.

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Second City Hall, Windsor, about 1910
Second City Hall, about 1910, the civic building in use during Arthur W. Jackson's term as mayor. This is the hall, not a portrait. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Leddy Library. Public domain.

Arthur W. Jackson

1915 to 1916 City

First industrial commissioner; factory district work; wartime home-front mayor during the First World War.

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Second City Hall, Windsor, about 1910
Second City Hall, about 1910, the civic building in use during Charles R. Tuson's term as mayor. This is the hall, not a portrait. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Leddy Library. Public domain.

Charles R. Tuson

1917 to 1918 City

Downtown street-lighting improvements. Florist, undertaker and real-estate businessman.

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Second City Hall, Windsor, about 1910
Second City Hall, about 1910, the civic building in use during E. Blake Winter's term as mayor. This is the hall, not a portrait. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Leddy Library. Public domain.

E. Blake Winter

1919 to 1920 City

Proposed a Detroit to Windsor tunnel as a First World War memorial (fundraising failed then); utilities-ownership plank; later Traffic Commissioner.

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Second City Hall, Windsor, about 1910
Second City Hall, about 1910, the civic building in use during Herbert W. Wilson's term as mayor. This is the hall, not a portrait. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Leddy Library. Public domain.

Herbert W. Wilson

1921 to 1923 City

Amalgamation advocate; Wilson Park; Essex County Transportation Committee treasurer for Ambassador Bridge planning (1925).

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Second City Hall, Windsor, about 1910
Second City Hall, about 1910, the civic building in use during Frank J. Mitchell's term as mayor. This is the hall, not a portrait. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Leddy Library. Public domain.

Frank J. Mitchell

1924 to 1926 City

Opposed private construction and operation of the international bridge on ratepayer-risk grounds. Rotary cerebral palsy clinic; Mitchell Park.

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Portrait of Mayor Cecil E. Jackson from the 1928 Walker Airport programme
Walker Airport opening programme, 1928 (public domain)

Cecil E. Jackson

1927 to 1930 City

Mayor when the Ambassador Bridge and Detroit to Canada Tunnel opened; Chrysler plant era; pushed a new City Hall; supported buying the Windsor Jockey Club grounds that became Jackson Park.

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors · Rose City Roots: Jackson Park
Portrait of David A. Croll
The Glengarry News, 23 Aug 1940 (public domain)

David A. Croll

1931 to 1934; 1939 to 1940 City

First Jewish mayor of a Canadian city. Depression relief. As Ontario minister he drove the 1935 amalgamation bill; Walkerville opposition is documented in peer-reviewed work. Resigned Hepburn's cabinet over the 1937 Oshawa GM strike. Later MP and Canada's first Jewish senator (1955).

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors · Kulisek and Price, Urban History Review 16:3 (1988)
Second City Hall, Windsor, about 1910
Second City Hall, about 1910, the civic building in use during George Bennett's term as mayor. This is the hall, not a portrait. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Leddy Library. Public domain.

George Bennett

1935 to 1936 City

Street Railwaymen's Union president for eleven years. First mayor of the amalgamated city; elected in an anti-Croll sweep. Later MPP for Windsor-Sandwich to 1945.

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · Kulisek and Price, Urban History Review 16:3 (1988)
Portrait of Mayor Arthur J. Reaume
Windsor Emancipation programme, 1953 (CC0)

Arthur J. Reaume

1941 to 1954 (minus eight days in January 1951) City

Longest continuous-era mayor. On 12 September 1945 at Market Hall he pledged that council would see that no one starved and that imported police would not smash heads here. Wartime worker housing; industrial promotion. Lost then regained office after a recount (won by 16). Later Liberal MPP for Essex North.

Sources: Abella, On Strike (1974) · City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Second City Hall, Windsor, about 1910
Second City Hall, about 1910, the civic building in use during Thomas R. Brophey's term as mayor. This is the hall, not a portrait. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Leddy Library. Public domain.

Thomas R. Brophey

1 to 8 January 1951 (eight days) City

Declared winner of the 6 December 1950 mayoral election; a recount restored Arthur Reaume by 16 votes. Served eight days in January 1951 and was paid one month's salary. Journalist, then lawyer, alderman and controller.

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · Thomas R. Brophey fonds (Archeion / Windsor Community Archives)
Portrait of Mayor John Wheelton
Windsor Emancipation programme, 1966 (CC0)

John Wheelton

1965 to 1969 City

Presided over the 1966 expanded city and Centennial 1967. Public housing and subsidized childcare. Left for a provincial judgeship in 1969.

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Third City Hall, Windsor, 1956
Third City Hall, 1956, the mid-century hall in use during W.C. (William Charles) Riggs's term as mayor. This is the hall, not a portrait. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Leddy Library. Public domain.

W.C. (William Charles) Riggs

1969 City

Appointed mayor after Wheelton resigned. Four aldermen tied at two votes each; under the Ontario Municipal Act the clerk broke the tie by a card draw. Riggs drew the Queen of Hearts (Windsor Star, 29 July 1969, as cited by Windsor Public Library).

Sources: Windsor Public Library: William C. Riggs · City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies
Third City Hall, Windsor, 1956
Third City Hall, 1956, the mid-century hall in use during Frank Wansbrough's term as mayor. This is the hall, not a portrait. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Leddy Library. Public domain.

Frank Wansbrough

1970 to 1974 City

Inaugural call for public forums and citizen participation; Carling property and downtown redevelopment; RCAF Second World War service; AKO basketball coach.

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Portrait of Albert H. (Bert) Weeks
Elaine Weeks (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Albert H. (Bert) Weeks

1975 to 1982 City

Four two-year terms. Fiscal conservation; industrial growth; opposed commercial waterfront development; nine new parks; industrial river land turned to public space. Bert Weeks Memorial Gardens and Fountain.

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Third City Hall, Windsor, 1956
Third City Hall, 1956, the mid-century hall in use during Elizabeth Kishkon's term as mayor. This is the hall, not a portrait. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Leddy Library. Public domain.

Elizabeth Kishkon

1983 to 1985 City

First woman mayor of Windsor. Save Peche Island Committee; recession and citizen-involvement agenda; later Ontario Human Rights Commission; honorary LLD from the University of Windsor; east-end park renamed in 2017.

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Third City Hall, Windsor, 1956
Third City Hall, 1956, the mid-century hall in use during David A. Burr's term as mayor. This is the hall, not a portrait. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Leddy Library. Public domain.

David A. Burr

1986 to 1988 City

Economic diversification and tourism; twin-city Las Vueltas, El Salvador; municipal race-relations forum; sewage-treatment funding; CN riverfront land negotiations.

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Third City Hall, Windsor, 1956
Third City Hall, 1956, the mid-century hall in use during John Millson's term as mayor. This is the hall, not a portrait. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Leddy Library. Public domain.

John Millson

1989 to 1991 City

Toronto development office to lure business; councillor portfolio system; final CN riverfront land transfer (later aquatic complex site).

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Third City Hall, Windsor, 1956
Third City Hall, 1956, the mid-century hall in use during Michael D. Hurst's term as mayor. This is the hall, not a portrait. Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Leddy Library. Public domain.

Michael D. Hurst

1992 to 2003 City

Riverfront walkway, sculptures and bike paths from the Ambassador Bridge to Walker; Chrysler Canada office tower; Tilston Armoury partnership; Casino Windsor with OLGC as a major downtown employer.

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Portrait of Eddie Francis
Steven M. Dzibela (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Eddie Francis

2003 to 2014 City

Herb Gray Parkway, WFCU Centre, aquatics complex, Caesars expansions, and downtown St. Clair College and University of Windsor campuses are among the projects City materials list from his tenure. Later WFCU CEO.

Sources: City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors
Portrait of Drew Dilkens
Event photo (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Drew Dilkens

2014 to present City

Incumbent mayor. Detroit joint Amazon HQ2 bid; regional policing and transit; public art endowment; statues; new City Hall; cycling infrastructure. On 25 April 2016 City Council approved a local-share levy of $108.5 million toward the new regional hospital. Formal City portrait still awaiting permission; this card uses a cleared event photo.

Sources: Windsor Regional Hospital: Local Share · City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project biographies · City of Windsor: Previous Mayors

Parliament from the Border

Members of Parliament and provincial ministers with a documented Windsor-Essex tie, beyond the mayors listed above. Members added from the 9 Nov 2026 who's-missing dig. Living-person portraits stay text-only until permission.

Paul Martin Sr in May 1964
Crop from Harry Pot / Anefo, 12 May 1964. Wikimedia Commons. CC0.

Paul Martin Sr.

Essex East MP 1935 to 1968; cabinet under King, St. Laurent and Pearson Federal

Born in Ottawa in 1903. He settled in Windsor, practised law here, and held Essex East for more than three decades. As health minister he pressed for national hospital insurance. He later served as secretary of state for external affairs. He died in Windsor on 14 September 1992. Tie: settled, represented and died in Windsor.

Sources: Windsor Public Library · Canadian Encyclopedia
Prime Minister Paul Martin with President George W. Bush at a press availability
White House photo by Paul Morse, 30 November 2004. Public domain (U.S. government work). Via Wikimedia Commons. Caption the co-appearance; this is not a solo studio portrait.

Paul Martin Jr.

Prime Minister of Canada 2003 to 2006 Federal

Born in Windsor on 28 August 1938. He was raised here until the family moved to Ottawa after his father entered cabinet (about 1945 to 1946). He later led the Liberal Party and served as prime minister. Tie: born and raised in Windsor.

Sources: Windsor Public Library · Canadian Encyclopedia
Parliament Hill in Ottawa, 24 September 2013, with the Centre Block and Peace Tower
Parliament Hill in Ottawa, 24 September 2013, with the Centre Block and Peace Tower. Eugene Whelan served in the House of Commons as Essex MP from 1962 to 1984. This is the Hill, not a portrait. Photograph: Saffron Blaze, 24 September 2013, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Eugene Whelan

Essex MP 1962 to 1984; Minister of Agriculture under Pierre Trudeau Federal / Essex

Born in Amherstburg on 11 July 1924. He was educated in Windsor and Walkerville, farmed in Essex County, and became one of Canada's best-known agriculture ministers. He died in Amherstburg on 19 February 2013. Tie: born, schooled and rooted in Essex County.

Sources: CBC Windsor obituary · Canadian Encyclopedia
Herb Gray in 2008
Crop from J. Kalbfleisch with Herb Gray. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 2.0.

Herb Gray

Windsor MP; first Jewish federal cabinet minister (1969) Federal

Born in Windsor on 25 May 1931. He represented Windsor ridings for decades and entered cabinet in 1969. The Herb Gray Parkway carries his name; City and Society already notes the parkway trails. This card adds the person behind the name. Tie: born and long represented Windsor.

Sources: Canadian Encyclopedia
Sandra Pupatello speaking at the Toronto Board of Trade, 2013
Sandra Pupatello speaking at the Toronto Board of Trade, 2013. Sandra Pupatello, CC BY 2.0.

Sandra Pupatello

Ontario MPP for Windsor Sandwich / Windsor West; several cabinet portfolios Provincial

Born in Windsor in 1962. She served as an Ontario Liberal MPP from 1995 to 2011 and held cabinet roles including Economic Development and Trade. Tie: born Windsor; represented Windsor ridings.

Sources: Windsor Public Library · Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario at Queen's Park, Toronto, 17 April 2017
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario at Queen's Park, Toronto, 17 April 2017, where Dwight Duncan served as a Windsor-area MPP and as Ontario's minister of finance. This is the legislature, not a portrait. Photograph: DXR, 17 April 2017, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Dwight Duncan

Ontario Minister of Finance; Windsor MPP Provincial

Born in Windsor on 3 January 1959. He served as an Ontario Liberal MPP and as provincial finance minister. Tie: born Windsor; represented Windsor-area seats.

Sources: Ontario Newsroom biographies · Legislative Assembly records
MP Brian Masse at the 2023 NDP convention
MP Brian Masse at the 2023 NDP convention in Hamilton, 13 October 2023. Photo: DrOwl19, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Brian Masse

NDP MP for Windsor West (from 2002) Federal

Born in Windsor on 9 July 1968. He has been the long-serving NDP Member of Parliament for Windsor West. Confirm current seat status before any go-live edit if an election has changed it. Tie: born Windsor; represents Windsor West.

Sources: Parliamentary biography pages
Brian Masse, MP for Windsor West, 25 March 2008
Brian Masse, MP for Windsor West, 25 March 2008. Photo: Scott A. Davidson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Parliament Hill in Ottawa, 24 September 2013, with the Centre Block and Peace Tower
Parliament Hill in Ottawa, 24 September 2013, with the Centre Block and Peace Tower. Susan Whelan served in the House of Commons as Liberal MP for Essex Windsor and Essex. This is the Hill, not a portrait. Photograph: Saffron Blaze, 24 September 2013, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Susan Whelan

Liberal MP for Essex / Essex Windsor; federal cabinet Federal / Essex

Born in Windsor on 5 March 1963 and raised in Amherstburg. She served as Liberal MP for Essex Windsor and Essex and held federal cabinet roles. Daughter of Eugene Whelan. Tie: born Windsor; raised Amherstburg; Essex MP.

Sources: Parliamentary biography · public bios
MPP Percy Hatfield during Members' Statements, 27 May 2019
MPP Percy Hatfield during Members' Statements, 27 May 2019. Legislative Assembly of Ontario, CC BY 3.0.

Percy Hatfield

NDP MPP for Windsor Tecumseh / Windsor Riverside Provincial

Long-serving provincial representative for Windsor-area ridings. Living person; keep the card short. Tie: represented Windsor-Essex provincially.

Sources: Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario at Queen's Park, Toronto, 17 April 2017
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario at Queen's Park, Toronto, 17 April 2017, where Teresa Piruzza served as a Windsor-area MPP and provincial cabinet minister. This is the legislature, not a portrait. Photograph: DXR, 17 April 2017, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Teresa Piruzza

Ontario Liberal MPP; cabinet Provincial

Windsor-area MPP and provincial cabinet minister. Confirm riding names and dates against the Legislative Assembly record before go-live. Tie: Windsor-area MPP.

Sources: Legislative Assembly of Ontario
MPP Lisa Gretzky during Members' Statements, 9 December 2019
MPP Lisa Gretzky during Members' Statements, 9 December 2019. Legislative Assembly of Ontario, CC BY 3.0.

Lisa Gretzky

NDP MPP for Windsor West Provincial

Provincial representative for Windsor West. Living person; short card only. Tie: represents Windsor West.

Sources: Legislative Assembly of Ontario
MPP Lisa Gretzky in the Windsor-Essex Pride Parade, 10 August 2025
MPP Lisa Gretzky in the Windsor-Essex Pride Parade, 10 August 2025. Photo: Chris Woodrich, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. The photographer's caption identifies her.
Parliament Hill in Ottawa, 24 September 2013, with the Centre Block and Peace Tower
Parliament Hill in Ottawa, 24 September 2013, with the Centre Block and Peace Tower. Irek Kusmierczyk has served in the House of Commons as MP for Windsor Tecumseh. This is the Hill, not a portrait. Photograph: Saffron Blaze, 24 September 2013, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Irek Kusmierczyk

Liberal MP for Windsor Tecumseh Federal

Federal representative for Windsor Tecumseh. Confirm current status after any election before go-live. Tie: Windsor-Essex MP.

Sources: Parliamentary biography
Parliament Hill in Ottawa, 24 September 2013, with the Centre Block and Peace Tower
Parliament Hill in Ottawa, 24 September 2013, with the Centre Block and Peace Tower. Chris Lewis has served in the House of Commons as Conservative MP for Essex. This is the Hill, not a portrait. Photograph: Saffron Blaze, 24 September 2013, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Chris Lewis

Conservative MP for Essex Federal / Essex

Federal representative for Essex. Confirm current status before go-live. Tie: Essex County MP.

Sources: Parliamentary biography
Parliament Hill in Ottawa, 24 September 2013, with the Centre Block and Peace Tower
Parliament Hill in Ottawa, 24 September 2013, with the Centre Block and Peace Tower. Tracey Ramsey served in the House of Commons as NDP MP for Essex from 2015 to 2019. This is the Hill, not a portrait. Photograph: Saffron Blaze, 24 September 2013, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Tracey Ramsey

NDP MP for Essex (2015 to 2019) Federal / Essex

Former NDP MP for Essex. Tie: represented Essex.

Sources: Parliamentary biography
Windsor News placeholder for Alton C. Parker. A Rose City Roots tile asking for a photograph of this subject.
Photo wanted. Share yours through the family photo or story note below.

Alton C. Parker

Windsor constable; detective from 1951 (confirmed 1953); Order of Canada 1976 Public life

Canada's first Black police detective, per City of Windsor monument materials and Order of Canada records. City monument stands in Windsor. Free Commons portrait not found; a fresh monument photo would be free if shot for the desk. Historical subject only; no media questions to Windsor Police.

Sources: City of Windsor monument page · Order of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada building in Ottawa, 6 July 2022
The Supreme Court of Canada building in Ottawa, 6 July 2022, where Peter Cory served as a justice from 1989 to 1999. This is the court, not a portrait. Photograph: Dwong33, 6 July 2022. Released to the public domain (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons.

Peter Cory

Supreme Court of Canada justice 1989 to 1999 Federal / judicial

Born in Windsor on 25 October 1925. Served on the Supreme Court of Canada from 1989 to 1999. Died 2020. SCC portraits are Crown copyright; ask the Court before any portrait use.

Sources: Canadian Lawyer obituary · Osgoode Society oral history (Peter Cory 1996)
Ernie Eves in Question Period, May 1987
Queen's Park, May 1987. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY 4.0.

Ernie Eves

Premier of Ontario 2002 to 2003 Provincial

Born in Windsor on 17 June 1946. Later raised in the Parry Sound area. Frame as born here, not raised here for his political career years.

Sources: Canadian Encyclopedia · Globe and Mail contenders profile
Painted portrait of Lieutenant-General Sir Archibald Cameron Macdonell in uniform, 1918
William Orpen, 1918. Canadian War Museum 19710261-0543. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Sir Archibald Cameron Macdonell

Born Windsor, 6 October 1864; commanded the 1st Canadian Division, 1917 to 1918 City Hall / War Chest

Son of S. S. Macdonell, Windsor's first mayor after town incorporation in 1858. He graduated from the Royal Military College in 1886, served in the North-West Mounted Police and in the South African War, and from June 1917 commanded the 1st Canadian Division. After the war he was commandant of the college until he retired as a lieutenant-general in 1925. He died in Kingston on 23 December 1941. The City of Windsor records him as the speaker who unveiled the Essex County War Memorial. Tie: born in Windsor; son of the first mayor.

Sources: Canadian Encyclopedia · City of Windsor monument page (cenotaph unveiling)

Also see the Herb Gray Parkway trails note under City and Society, deepened.

Buildings

Old Town Hall postcard, 1917
Old Town Hall, 1917 postcard. SWODA. Public Domain.
City Hall, 1905
City Hall, 1905. SWODA. Public Domain.
Second City Hall, 1910
Second City Hall, 1910. SWODA. Public Domain.
Sandwich Town Hall about 1920
Sandwich municipal building, about 1920. SWODA. Public Domain.
Third City Hall, 1956
Third City Hall, 1956. SWODA. Public Domain.
Cenotaph and City Hall Square at night, 1965
Cenotaph and City Hall Square at night, 1965. SWODA. Public Domain. Place context only.

All building images: Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive, Public Domain rights field. Not substitutes for mayor or council group portraits.

The present hall

The present City Hall opened in May 2018, at 350 City Hall Square West. These photographs were taken on 6 November 2026. A July 2020 photograph of the same building, by another photographer, is already on Then and now and Booms and Busts. These are new photographs, not that image.

Windsor City Hall at 350 City Hall Square West, seen at an angle, 6 November 2026.
Windsor City Hall, 350 City Hall Square West, 6 November 2026. Photo by Kyle L. Stewart, Windsor News
The entrance of Windsor City Hall, with the name on the facade, 6 November 2026.
Windsor City Hall entrance, 6 November 2026. Photo by Kyle L. Stewart, Windsor News

The opening date is as already recorded on Booms and Busts. The address is on the building. Photo by Kyle L. Stewart, Windsor News.

The 1956 hall

The Buildings gallery already holds a 1956 postcard of the mid-century hall. This card adds the opening, the nickname, and the 2019 demolition, and points to the Lost buildings chapter on Booms and Busts.

Postcard of Windsor's 1956 City Hall, later demolished
Third City Hall, 1956. SWODA node 811. Public domain. Already in the Buildings gallery above.

Mid-century City Hall, 1956 to 2019

Opened 1956; demolished 2019 Buildings

The hall opened in 1956 at about $2.1 million after construction began in 1955. Its tile colours earned the nickname the Sunoco Station; that was a nickname, not a formal name. The city had bought the old Central Public School site in 1904 and used it as city hall before this building. The present hall opened to the public on 22 May 2018. The 1956 building was demolished in 2019. Kept as architecture and civic memory, not as a live political argument.

Sources: SWODA node 811 · Windsor Star Henderson column and 2019 demolition coverage (secondary) · City opening announcements · Booms and Busts, Lost buildings
Civic buildings in Windsor, from a 1913 souvenir book, before the 1956 City Hall
Harry Wentworth Gardner, 1913 compilation. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Place context before the 1956 hall.

The square before 1956

1913 civic view Buildings

A 1913 souvenir view of the civic centre, from before the mid-century hall. It is context for what stood on and around the square, not a photograph of the 1956 building.

Sources: Gardner, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, 1913 · Commons file page

Portraits still needed

The City of Windsor Mayors Portrait Project holds formal frames for essentially every city mayor. Cleared open-licence stand-ins stay until formal files arrive.

No cleared historic council group photos yet. A 2022 council web photo on citywindsor.ca needs the same City permission.

Photo credits

  • Charles R Horne Essex1905: Charles R. Horne plate: Commemorative Biographical Record of the County of Essex, Ontario (J.H. Beers, Toronto, 1905), via Internet Archive. Public domain.
  • Francis Cleary Essex1905: Francis Cleary plate: Commemorative Biographical Record of the County of Essex, Ontario (J.H. Beers, Toronto, 1905), via Internet Archive. Public domain.
  • Solomon White: Solomon White: The Canadian Album: Men of Canada, vol. 2 (1891 to 1896), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.
  • Oscar Ernest Fleming: Oscar E. Fleming: Who's Who in Canada (1914), via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain.
  • John Davis Essex1905: John Davis plate: Commemorative Biographical Record of the County of Essex, Ontario (J.H. Beers, Toronto, 1905), via Internet Archive. Public domain.
  • David Croll Glengarry News 1940: David A. Croll: The Glengarry News, 23 August 1940, via Wikimedia Commons / Glengarry County Archives. Public domain. News photo; formal City / LAC portrait not yet cleared.
  • Albert Howard Weeks: Albert H. (Bert) Weeks: Elaine Weeks / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
  • Eddie Francis 2011: Eddie Francis: Steven M. Dzibela / Flickr, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
  • Mayor Dilkens 2022: Drew Dilkens: Wikimedia Commons event photo, CC BY-SA 4.0. Formal City portrait not yet cleared.
  • SS Macdonell CBD1880: S.S. (Samuel Smith) Macdonell: Canadian Biographical Dictionary and Portrait Gallery (Ontario vol., 1880), via Internet Archive. Public domain.
  • Michael Twomey Belden1881: M. Twomey, merchant, Amherstburg plate: Belden Illustrated Historical Atlas of the Counties of Essex and Kent (1880 to 1881), via Internet Archive. Public domain. Identified with Windsor's 1889 mayor via Amherstburg street-name inventory (high confidence).
  • D Willis Mason CanadianAlbum: Daniel Willis Mason: The Canadian Album: Men of Canada, vol. 2 (1893), via Internet Archive. Public domain.
  • John W Hanna Essex1905: John W. Hanna plate: Commemorative Biographical Record of the County of Essex, Ontario (J.H. Beers, Toronto, 1905), via Internet Archive. Public domain.
  • Cecil E Jackson WalkerAirport1928: Cecil E. Jackson: Walker Airport Souvenir Programme Official Opening (1928), via Internet Archive. Public domain mark.
  • Arthur J Reaume Emancipation1953: Arthur J. Reaume: Windsor Emancipation Celebration programme, 1953, via Internet Archive. CC0 1.0.
  • John Wheelton Emancipation1966: John Wheelton: Windsor Emancipation Celebration programme, 1966, via Internet Archive. CC0 1.0.
  • Ernest S Wigle 1931: Ernest S. Wigle: military portrait from History of the Wigle Family and Their Descendants, 1931, figure 5, via Internet Archive. Public domain. This is a military portrait, not a mayoral-robes likeness.
  • Michael J Patrick Emancipation1962: Michael Patrick: Windsor Emancipation Celebration programme, 1962, via Internet Archive. CC0 1.0.
  • City Hall building gallery: Southwestern Ontario Digital Archive (SWODA), Leddy Library. Public Domain rights field. Place context only.

Sources and corrections

Primary anchors: City of Windsor Previous Mayors; City Mayors Portrait Project biographies; City History of Windsor; City CAO historical note; Kulisek and Price (1988); Abella, On Strike (1974); Dictionary of Canadian Biography; Essex 1905 biographical record; Windsor Regional Hospital Local Share page; SWODA Public Domain civic buildings. Corrections: windsornewsdesk@gmail.com.

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