John Wesley Fry

John Wesley Fry
John Wesley Fry
	Mayor of Edmonton
	In office; November 10, 1937 – November 7, 1945
Preceded by	Joseph Clarke
Succeeded by	Harry Ainlay
Alderman on the Edmonton City Council
	In office; November 9, 1932 – November 10, 1937
Personal details
Born	December 5, 1876; Independent
Children	Four daughters, one son
Profession	Teacher, realtor
Signature

John Wesley Fry (December 5, 1876 – December 23, 1946) was a politician in Alberta, Canada and a mayor of Edmonton.

Biography

Early life

John Fry was born in

Normal School. He received his teaching certificate and taught for three years in Gainsborough, Saskatchewan. He married and moved to a homestead near Lloydminster

.

In 1911, he moved to Edmonton and entered the contracting and real estate business.

Political career

John Wesley Fry sought office eleven times in his political career, and was never defeated. His first attempt took place in the 1932 election, when he ran for the position of alderman on Edmonton City Council. He was elected, finishing second of fifteen candidates. He was re-elected in the 1934 and 1936 elections, finishing second each time (of eighteen and sixteen candidates, respectively).

Fry resigned midway through his third two-year term to run for mayor in the

Samuel Barnes), 1940 (defeating two challengers), 1941 (defeating alderman George Campbell), 1942 (by acclamation), 1943 (defeating Thomas Cairns), and 1944 (defeating Rice Sheppard). He did not seek re-election in the 1945 election

, and did not seek political office again thereafter.

Personal life, death, and legacy

In addition to his political activities, John Wesley Fry was a member of the

Kiwanis Club, the Masonic Lodge, the Union of Alberta Municipalities, and the Canadian Federation of Mayors and Municipalities (serving as President of the latter two). He died December 23, 1946, survived by his wife, four daughters, and one son.^{[citation needed}

]

His eight years as mayor were the longest in Edmonton's history at that point. William Hawrelak surpassed the record in 1963 (Hawrelak, who served three non-consecutive stints as mayor, would serve a total of more than nine years). Fry's record of eight consecutive years as mayor stood until 2003, when Bill Smith surpassed it.

John Fry Park, a baseball park in Edmonton, is named in Fry's honour.

References

Preceded by Joseph Clarke	Mayor of Edmonton 1937–1946	Succeeded by Harry Dean Ainlay