Thomas Langton Church

Thomas Langton Church (1873 – February 7, 1950) was a Canadian politician.

Thomas Langton "Tommy" Church
Church, c. 1925
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Toronto North
In office 1921–1925
Preceded by	George Eulas Foster
Succeeded by	Electoral district abolished
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Toronto Northwest
In office 1925–1930
Preceded by	Electoral district created
Succeeded by	John Ritchie MacNicol
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Toronto East
In office 1934–1935
Preceded by	Edmond Baird Ryckman
Succeeded by	Electoral district abolished
Member of the Canadian Parliament for Broadview
In office 1935–1950
Preceded by	Electoral district created
Succeeded by	George Harris Hees
37th Mayor of Toronto
In office 1915–1921
Preceded by	Horatio Clarence Hocken
Succeeded by	Charles A. Maguire
Personal details
Born	1873 Toronto, Ontario
Died	February 7, 1950 (aged 79–80)
Political party	Conservative

Mayor Thomas Langton Church (left) and Sir Adam Beck

After serving as Mayor of Toronto from 1915 to 1921, he was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the 1921 election as a Conservative from the riding of Toronto North. He was defeated in the 1930 election in Toronto West Centre, but returned to Parliament as Member of Parliament (MP) for Toronto East in a 1934 by-election. He remained in the House of Commons until his death in 1950.

As mayor, Church was strongly backed by the Toronto Telegram and opposed by the Toronto Daily Star. He was occasionally mocked in the pages of the Star by Ernest Hemingway who was, at the time, a reporter for the paper. Late in his career as an MP, Church denounced the newly formed United Nations as "modern tower of Babel", for "which Canada and Great Britain should not allow their interests to be the play thing."

In the House of Commons in June 1936, he protested against the requirement of bilingual banknotes in the Bank of Canada Act for banknotes to be introduced as the 1937 Series, stating there was no authority for it in the British North America Act, and that it had not been an issue during the 1935 federal election. He favoured printing dual-language banknotes (distinct English and French banknotes) as had been done for the 1935 Series. He was also a member of the Orange Order in Canada.

References

• "Tense scene as McGeer makes attack on govt". The Evening Citizen. Vol. 93, no. 299. June 3, 1936.

External links

• Thomas Langton Church – Parliament of Canada biography
• Thomas Langton Church fonds, Archives of Ontario