Mayor, MPP Justus Albert "Albert Smith^[1]

1894 - 1971  (77 years)

• Name	Justus Albert "Albert Smith
  Prefix	Mayor, MPP
  Born	18 Jun 1894	New Hamburg, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1, 2]
  Gender	Male
  Occupation	1911	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2]
  	Student High School
  Residence	1911	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2]
  	Evangelical
  Elected Office	1927	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	councillor - Kitchener
  	Years Served: 1927-34, 1935-37 (Mayor)
  Elected Office	1935	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	Mayor - Kitchener
  Elected Office	1937	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  	Mayor
  Name	Albert Schmitt
  Name	Albert Smith
  Name	J. Albert Smith
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-173050
  Died	5 Jul 1971	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  Person ID	I173050	Generations
  Last Modified	3 Mar 2025

  
  

  Father	Rev. Justus August Schmitt,   b. 23 Dec 1852, , Germany ,   d. 22 Nov 1938, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 85 years)
  Mother	Mary Oestreicher,   b. 13 May 1860, Crediton, Stephen Twp., Huron Co., Ontario, Canada ,   d. 7 Jun 1945, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 85 years)
  Married	6 Jul 1892	Crediton, Stephen Twp., Huron Co., Ontario, Canada
  Family ID	F51638	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Leoma Klehn,   b. 27 May 1895, , Ontario, Canada ,   d. 19 Mar 1991, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 95 years)
  Married	10 Oct 1918	Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  Children	1. Elaine Dorothy Schmitt,   b. 1924,   d. 24 Mar 2007, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 83 years)   2. Phyllis Jacqueline Schmitt,   b. 20 Oct 1925, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 26 Apr 2014, Freeport (Kitchener), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 88 years)   3. Louis Justin "Lou" Schmitt,   b. 31 Aug 1927, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 15 Feb 2006, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 78 years)
  Last Modified	4 Mar 2025
  Family ID	F50298	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Photos

  Smith,JustusAlbert-0001.jpg

  
  

• Notes

  J. Albert Smith, a native of New Hamburg, received his public and secondary school education in Kitchener before joining Mutual Life Assurance Company and later Canada Cement Company Limited. He served Kitchener as alderman eight times and was mayor from 1935 to 1937. He was elected president of the Ontario Mayors' Association and was on the executive of the Dominion Mayors' Association. He was a member of the Kitchener Water Commission and the Public Utilities Commission. A past president of the Kitchener Horticultural Society and the developer of Rockway Gardens through his Work-for-Relief Plan, he was president of the Ontario Horticultural Association in 1931. He was elected to the provincial legislature in 1937 and was appointed commissioner of the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario. He received the King George Coronation Medal (1937), the OHA Silver Medal (1967) and the Kitchener Medal (1971). https://www.waterlooregionmuseum.com/region-hall-of-fame/ ______________ Justus Albert Smith (1894\endash 1971) was a politician in Ontario, Canada. He served as mayor of Kitchener from 1935 to 1937 and represented Waterloo North in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1937 to 1943 as a Liberal. He was born in New Hamburg on June 7th, 1894 and was educated in Kitchener public school and Waterloo Collegiate Institute. He worked for the Mutual Life Assurance Company and then the Canada Cement Company as a district representative for many years. Since these were war times, he found it difficult to do business with German spelling of his surname and so had the German spelling "Schmitt" changed to the English spelling "smith". Smith served on the Kitchener Water Commission and the Public Utilities Commission. He was president of the Ontario Mayors' Association and also served on the executive of the Dominion Mayors' Association. Smith was also a president of the Kitchener Horticultural Society and, in 1931, was the president of the Ontario Horticultural Association. Smith helped develop the Rockway Gardens in Kitchener by creating a public works program to beautify the city of Kitchener during the depression years. This employed many men. He was appointed Hydro Commissioner for the province of Ontario on October 6. 1937. Smith died of cancer July 5, 1971 at the age of 77. "Justus Albert Smith - Wikipedia". 2022. En.Wikipedia.Org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justus_Albert_Smith. ______________ EX-HYDRO OFFICIAL J. A. Smith dies; former mayor, MPP J. Albert Smith of 50 Turner Ave., a former Kitchener mayor, former MPP and best known recently for his horticultural interests, died today at the K-W Hospital after a lengthy illness. He was 75. In 1935 Mr. Smith became the first Kitchener mayor to be elected by acclamation, being re-elected in 1936 and 1937 without a contest. He set another political record when he was elected to the legislature as a Liberal in 1937, with a margin of over 9,000 votes, the largest ever attained by a candidate in the riding of Waterloo North. Also in 1937 he was appointed commissioner of the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario. Mr. Smith entered politics as a Kitchener alderman in 1926 and was later elected to the Kitchener water commission and the Public Utilities Commission. Although one of the youngest mayors in the province, he was elected president of the Ontario Mayors Association and to the executive of the Dominion Mayors Association. He was also a former vice-president of the Ontario Municipal Electric Association. During his three years as mayor he introduced the work for relief plan which resulted in the development of Rockway Gardens among other projects. Provincial recognition of his interests in horticulture came in 1931 when he was elected president of the Ontario Horticultural Association, which had a membership of 80,000. Between 1927 and 1932 he was president of the Kitchener Ho ticultural Society, holding various executive positions with the group until 1964 when he was appointed the society's managing director. Mr. Smith received the King George coronation medal for civilian service in 1937, the Ontario Horticultural Society's silver medal in 1967 and the Kitchener medal in 1971. He was a member of Zion United Church. Born in New Hamburg, a son of the late Rev. and Mrs. J. A Schmitt, he received his publics and secondary school education in Kitchener before joining the Mutual Life Assurance Co. of Canada Ltd. and later Canada Cement Co. Ltd. Surviving besides his wife, the former Leoma Klehn, whom he married in 1918, are one son Louis J. of London; two daughters, Mrs. Arthur (Elaine) Fiton of Kitchener and Mrs. Ralph A. (Phyllis) Forbes of Waterlocoand five grandchildren. The body will be at the Rat Bechtel Funeral Home after noon Wednesday where Rev. F. J. Roberts and Rev. G.. Barthel will conduct the service Thursday at 2 p.m. Cremation will follow. The family will be at the funeral home on Wednesday between 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. and between 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Donations to the Kitchener Horticultural Society will be accepted as expressions of sympathy. Kitchener-Waterloo Record Tue, Jul 06, 1971 Page 3

  
  

• Sources

  [S74] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Kitchener-Waterloo Record (1948-1994), Obituary of Leoma Klehn - Smith - 20 Mar 1991. [S340] Census - ON, Waterloo, Berlin - 1911, Div.. 21 Page 6.

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 18 Jun 1894 - New Hamburg, Wilmot Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Student High School - 1911 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Evangelical - 1911 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Married - 10 Oct 1918 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Elected Office - councillor - Kitchener - 1927 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Elected Office - Mayor - Kitchener - 1935 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Elected Office - Mayor - 1937 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - 5 Jul 1971 - Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth