Allan A. Lamport
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Allan Austin Lamport (1904-1999) was Mayor of Toronto, Canada, from 1952 to 1954. Known as "Lampy", his most notable achievement was his opposition to Toronto's Blue laws which banned virtually any activities on Sundays. Lamport fought to allow professional sporting activities on Sundays and was defeated in the 1954 election for his efforts. Lamport later returned to City Council as a member of the Board of Control and made headlines for his opposition to Yorkville's hippies in the late 1960s.
From 1937 to 1943 he was a Ontario Liberal Party Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for the Toronto riding of St. David.
In 1994, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada. Lamport Stadium in Toronto was named in his honour.
Lamport was well known for his malapropisms. Among some of his quotations:
- "All this progress is marvellous... now if only it would stop!"
- "It's hard to make predictions - especially about the future."
- "I’m lost, but I’m making record time."
- "I spent a week in Montreal last weekend."
- "We shall reach greater and greater platitudes of achievement."
- "We've got to act wisely and otherwisely."
- "Let's jump off that bridge when we come to it."
- "We have to choose between collapse and ruin."
- "What you're telling me is a matter of major insignificance."
- "I am a man of sound prejudice."
- "This is the crutch of the problem."
Preceded by: Hiram E. McCallum 1948–1951 | Mayor of Toronto 1952–1954 | Succeeded by: Leslie Howard Saunders 1954–1955 |