William Lyon Mackenzie
The township of York, which until 1793 had been known as "Toronto", incorporated as a city (meaning it received local self-government) on March 6, 1834, taking the name of "the City of Toronto" to distinguish it from New York City and the dozen other settlements named 'York' in Upper Canada. The Tories and the Reformers fielded candidates for Toronto's first municipal election, held on March 27, 1834, with the Reformers winning a majority on the Toronto City Council. Mackenzie was elected as an alderman. The City Council then met to decide who should become mayor. Mackenzie, after being nominated by Franklin Jackes, defeated John Rolph in the vote and thereby became the first Mayor of Toronto.
City of Toronto Act
The Incorporation of the City of Toronto on March 6, 1834, was a legislative act creating the City of Toronto from the unincorporated town of York. This allowed for the creation of the local government or city council. The act was transferred onto the succeeding governments of Ontario in 1840 and 1867. The incorporation remained in effect throughout Toronto's mergers with other cities and towns within southern York County until the creation of Metropolitan Toronto in 1954.