Philip Givens

Philip Givens
Philip Givens
	York West
	In office; June 25, 1968 – October 6, 1971
Preceded by	Robert Winters
Succeeded by	James Fleming
54th Mayor of Toronto
	In office; 1963–1966
Preceded by	Donald Dean Summerville
Succeeded by	William Dennison
Personal details
Born	Philip Gewirtz; April 22, 1922; Osgoode Law School
Occupation	Judge
Profession	Barrister

Philip Gerald Givens,

Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP). He was born and raised in Toronto and attended high school at Harbord Collegiate Institute. He studied law at Osgoode Hall Law School

and graduated in 1949. He became a judge after leaving politics in the late 1970s. He retired from the judiciary in 1988, and died in Toronto in 1995.

Life and career

Givens was born in Toronto, Ontario, the son of Mary and Hyman Gewirtz, and was Jewish.

Donald Summerville, on November 19, 1963.^[2]

He served the remaining 13 months in Summerville's two-year term, and then was elected as mayor in the 1964 municipal election.

He led a public campaign to purchase a sculpture by artist Henry Moore, The Archer, for placement in Toronto's Nathan Phillips Square in front of the City Hall.^[3] Although vigorously opposed at the time by traditionalists, Givens got his way and the sculpture has become a beloved piece of public art. The controversy had a political cost, however, and Givens was defeated when he ran for re-election as mayor in 1966.

Toward the end of his term in office, he appeared in the feature film The Offering as himself.^[4]

Givens ran for the

Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) in the Armourdale constituency.^[6] He defeated future Toronto mayor (and then-Mayor of North York) Mel Lastman.^[6] After retiring from politics in 1977, Givens was given a judicial appointment and was made chairman of the Metropolitan Toronto Police Commission.^[3]

Legacy

The city of Toronto renamed

Caribou Park as Phil Givens Park in 2016.^[7]

Electoral record

York West
Party	Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal	Philip Givens	20,416	44.8	-2.9
	New Democratic	Val Scott	16,204	35.6	+12.7
	Progressive Conservative	Wes Boddington	8,344	18.3	-11.2
	Independent	Norman Gunn	442	1.0
	Communist	William Kashtan	155	0.3
Total valid votes			45,561	100.0

Citations

^ "Phil Givens, Toronto's new mayor (1963) – Bill Gladstone Genealogy". 20 March 2012.
^ Star staff (1963), p. 1.
^ ^a ^b ^c Gladstone (2012).
^ "The Mayor? As a film star?" The Globe and Mail, July 11, 1966.
^ Star staff (1971), p. 11.
^ ^a ^b Denov (1975), p. A15.
^ "Parks, Forestry and Recreation : Phil Givens Park". Archived from the original on 7 October 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2017.

References

Denov, Stef (19 September 1975). "'Big names' among the also-rans as 3 cabinet ministers beaten". The Toronto Star. p. A15.
Gladstone, Bill (2012). "Phil Givens, Toronto's new mayor (1963)". Best of Bill Gladstone.ca. Toronto. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2013.
Star staff (20 November 1963). "Givens becomes Toronto's acting mayor". The Toronto Daily Star. p. 1.
Star staff (22 October 1971). "Givens: Island of joy amid Liberal's gloom". The Toronto Daily Star. p. 11.

External links

Political offices
Preceded by Charles O. Bick	Metropolitan Toronto Police Commission Chairman 1977–1985	Succeeded by Clare Westcott

[1] "Phil Givens, Toronto's new mayor (1963) – Bill Gladstone Genealogy". 20 March 2012.

[FOOTNOTEStar_staff19631-2] Star staff (1963), p. 1.

[FOOTNOTEGladstone2012-3] Gladstone (2012).

[4] "The Mayor? As a film star?" The Globe and Mail, July 11, 1966.

[FOOTNOTEStar_staff197111-5] Star staff (1971), p. 11.

[FOOTNOTEDenov1975A15-6] Denov (1975), p. A15.

[7] "Parks, Forestry and Recreation : Phil Givens Park". Archived from the original on 7 October 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2017.

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