Edward Blake Winter
Edward Blake Winter was Mayor of the City of Windsor from 1919 to 1920.
Winter entered the race for mayoralty in 1918 and ran against then-Mayor Charles R. Tuson. Winter’s political platform addressed various issues, such as ownership of public utilities. Winter successfully obtained a position as Mayor. In this position, Winter approached politicians in Detroit and proposed a tunnel connecting the two cities as a memorial to the First World War. Unfortunately, though the proposal was approved by the Mayor of Detroit, there were insufficient funds to support the project following the war.
Born in Stratford, Ontario on January 21, 1874, Winter completed his secondary education in the United States, specifically in Iowa and Detroit, before moving to Windsor in 1899. Winter was active in journalism and purchased the Windsor Review shortly after arriving in Windsor. In 1916, Winter was elected as alderman for City Council, a position he held for three years before making the decision to run for Mayor of Windsor. After acting as the Mayor of Windsor, Winter was Traffic Commissioner (a position he held beginning in 1927). In 1925, Winter was selected as the Liberal Candidate for the federal elections. Winter continued to be active in his community: he was the president of various local groups, including the Border Chamber of Commerce and the Windsor branch of the Navy League of Canada.
Winter passed away in 1950.
Sources:
Ald. E. B. Winter enters race for mayoralty. (10 Dec 1918). Windsor Daily Star.
Chauvin, Francis X. (1929). Edward Blake Winter. Men of Achievement. pp. 79 to 80.
Windsor Public Library. (2001). History of the Detroit/Windsor Tunnel. The Fleetway: A History of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.