By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer No Mayor in Sarnia's history faced a crisis comparable to the one that confronted John McGibbon in 1912. McGibbon, who was born near Milton in 1859, became Chief Magistrate at a time when the Municipality was reeling from outbreaks of diphtheria and scarlet [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer Tradesmen who find work repairing the many ships that berth in Sarnia each winter can thank Mayor Bill Henderson for their jobs. That's because the Community’s 31st Chief Magistrate talked the Federal Government into creating a winter harbor here in 1911. Born in [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer When Albert Johnston was elected Sarnia's 30th Mayor, the Community was still attempting to adjust to the 20th century. It was 1910, a time when The Observer could report in the same issue that an automobile manufacturing company was considering coming to Town [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer In 1996, when Sarnia Councillors debated whether to regulate sexually explicit movies, some of them may have thought they were breaking new ground. But in reality they were only carrying on a tradition started 87 years earlier by Mayor David Milne. In fact, [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer George Proctor would likely have gone down in history as a great Sarnian even if he'd never been elected Mayor. That's because in addition to being the Community’s 28th Chief Magistrate, he was a successful builder, the first President of the Sarnia Humane [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer He lit up our lives. Mayor David Barr, Sarnia's 27th Mayor, headed the Council that installed 100 electric street lamps in the Municipality. Barr, a prominent local watchmaker and jeweler, was elected Mayor in 1905 after serving several years as an Alderman. He [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer His forte was attracting new industry. That best sums up the story of Thomas Cook, who served as Sarnia's Mayor in 1903 and 19O4 and as the City's 41st Chief Magistrate in 1923. Born in the Huron County community in Varna on March [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer William Logie's claim to fame is that he was Mayor of Sarnia when Council decided to build the Community's first Public Library. In a way it was fitting, because our 25th Chief Magistrate was something of a book worm. Born in Hensall, Ontario, [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer Fred Watson may have been too nice a man to be a great Mayor. The Community's 24th Chief Magistrate was popular with voters but, once in office, he had a difficult time dealing with an unruly group of Aldermen. In fact, according to [...]
By Dan McCaffery for the Sarnia Observer The Mayor who did so much to prepare Sarnia for a new century. T.G. Johnston, the Community’s 23rd Chief Magistrate, was in Office when Council lured Imperial Oil to the Municipality. The move would transform a sleepy little 19th century market Town of [...]
