Until 1854, the city was widely known as Bytown, which from 1847 to 1854 had eight elected mayors. Their term in office lasted one year. Ottawayes will explore some of the mayors elected in Ottawa who governed the city, cared for its infrastructure, and contributed to its development.
John Bower Lewis
John Bower Lewis was the second mayor of Bytown (1848) and, fittingly, became the first mayor of Ottawa (1855–1857). According to his biography, he studied law in Toronto, served as a Queen’s Counsel, and, after his one-year mayoral term, was appointed a city police commissioner.
In 1872, he was elected to the House of Commons as a Conservative. However, in 1873, he was forced to resign due to the Pacific Scandal, a political scandal involving bribes taken by an unprecedented number of Conservative government members (150 individuals). Private individuals attempted to influence the tendering process for a national railway contract. This led not only to the resignation of the former mayor of Ottawa but also to the downfall of Canada’s first Prime Minister, John A. Macdonald.
John Bower Lewis passed away in Ottawa in 1874.
Edward McGillivray
Elected as Ottawa’s second mayor in 1858, Edward McGillivray was born in Ontario County and moved to Bytown at the age of 20. He gained fame for opening a successful general store before transitioning to the fur trade.
In 1855, he was elected to the city council and ran for mayor three days later. His biography includes several notable achievements:
- President of the Bytown Telegraph Company;
- President of J.R. Booth’s Canada Atlantic Railway;
- One of the founders of the Bytown and Prescott Railway.
Edward McGillivray passed away in 1885 at the age of 70 and was buried in Beechwood Cemetery.
Alexander Workman
The third mayor of Ottawa, Alexander Workman, served from 1860 to 1862. Born in Ireland, he moved to Bytown in 1845 and co-founded a manufacturing business. He also attempted to establish a Unitarian Church in Ottawa, but this effort was unsuccessful.
Before becoming mayor, he was a longtime city council member. He lived to the age of 93.
Henry James Friel
Henry James Friel holds a unique place in Bytown and Ottawa’s political history, having served as mayor twice—first in 1854 and later from 1868 to 1869. A Montreal native from an Irish Catholic family, he moved to Bytown in 1827. In 1847, he was elected to Bytown’s first city council. Although he lost the following year, he was eventually elected mayor in 1854.
In 1846, Friel and John Bell acquired the newspaper Bytown Packet. He later sold it to Robert Bell, who renamed it Ottawa Citizen. In 1858, he launched a new publication, Ottawa Union, which he sold to Ottawa Times in 1866.
Friel died of pneumonia in Ottawa in 1869.
Stanley Lewis
Stanley Lewis served as Ottawa’s mayor from 1936 to 1948, after starting his political career as a city councillor in 1930. He became the longest-serving mayor at the time.
During his tenure, he attended the coronation of King George VI and hosted the royal visit of the King and Queen to Ottawa in 1939. One of his most significant achievements was receiving an honorary degree from the University of Ottawa in 1941.
He voluntarily stepped down in 1948 following a severe illness. Before his passing in 1970, he remained active in charity work. He died of a heart attack.
Eddie A. Bourque
Eddie A. Bourque was first elected to the Board of Control in 1936 and later served as mayor from 1949 to 1950. During his tenure, over $300,000 was allocated for the construction of the Mackenzie King Bridge.
He was a member of various associations and received an honorary Doctor of Business Administration degree from the University of Ottawa. He passed away in 1962.
Grenville Goodwin
Raised in Prescott, Grenville Goodwin moved to Ottawa in 1911 to attend Lisgar Collegiate Institute. After serving in World War I, he studied at the University of Toronto and later pursued optometry, eventually opening his own practice in 1926.
His tenure as mayor lasted only eight months before his sudden passing at the age of 53.
Charlotte Whitton
Charlotte Whitton made history as Ottawa’s first female mayor. Following Goodwin’s death in 1951, she stepped in to fulfill his duties, remaining in office until 1956. Known for her outspoken and dynamic personality, she frequently clashed with city councillors. In 1961, she returned to municipal politics and served a second term as mayor until 1964.
Before entering politics, Whitton was a social worker and writer. She co-founded the Canadian Council on Child Welfare and later decided to run for office—a surprising move at the time, as she was the first woman to do so.
During her tenure, Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited Ottawa in 1951, and Whitton attended Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953.
Other Mayors
Following Charlotte Whitton, Ottawa was led by:
- George H. Nelms (1957–1960);
- Donald Bartlett Reid (1965–1969);
- Kenneth H. Fogarty (1970–1972);
- Pierre Benoit (1972–1974);
- Lorry Greenberg (1975–1978).
Marion Dewar
Marion Dewar, a prominent member of the New Democratic Party, was Ottawa’s second female mayor, serving from 1978 to 1985. She made an impact through several major initiatives:
- Convened a convention on LGBTQ+ rights;
- Led a project to sponsor refugees from other countries;
- Advocated for nuclear disarmament and peace;
- Featured in the 1985 documentary Speaking Our Peace.
Successors in Ottawa’s Political Landscape
After Dewar, Ottawa’s mayors included:
- James A. Durrell (1985–1991);
- Jacqueline Holzman (1991–1997);
- Jim Watson (1997–2000);
- Allan Higdon (2000–2001).
Jim Watson
Jim Watson holds the record as Ottawa’s longest-serving mayor, elected for four terms. He first served on Ottawa’s city council from 1991 to 1997 and was elected mayor in 1997. He was successfully re-elected in 2014 and 2018. In 2014, he secured 76.2% of the vote.
His tenure exceeded that of Stanley Lewis, who had served for 12 years.
Few politicians have had such enduring success as Ottawa’s mayor. Politics can be unforgiving, but those who persevere earn the respect of residents. These leaders have made lasting contributions to the city’s growth and have cemented their place in its history.
