Thomas R. Brophey
Thomas (Tom) Brophey holds the record for the shortest term as Windsor’s mayor, serving from January 1, 1951 through January 7, 1951 – eight days total. He was 23rd mayor of the city of Windsor.
In 1948 Tom Brophey made his first run for mayor of the City of Windsor, ultimately losing to incumbent mayor Arthur J. Reaume by a total of 1336 votes. In 1950, while still 
in law school, Brophey once again ran against Mayor Reaume, this time defeating him in the December 6th election by a slim margin of only 38 votes; this was the closest mayoral race in Windsor’s history. Due to the close results, Reaume applied for a recount, which although opposed by Brophey, was eventually granted on December 20, 1950 by Judge Albert. J Gordon. The topic of the recount was a hot issue in Windsor, with much debate over whether it should be held and who should pay for it. On January 1st, 1951, Brophey was sworn in as mayor of Windsor, a position he held for seven days until the ballot recount revealed that Reaume actually won by 16 votes. At this time Brophey chose to return to law school rather than to challenge the decision, which many thought he should consider. Brophey received a paycheque from the city for $110 as compensation for his eight day term as mayor.
While the role of mayor was not in the cards for Mr. Brophey, he did hold a number of high profile positions in Windsor, Ontario. He commenced his career as a journalist with the Border Cities Star and the Windsor Star in 1924, becoming a popular columnist and reporter. At the age of 43 he abandoned journalism to study law at Osgoode Hall. Moving into municipal politics, he served as alderman of Ward 1 in 1944-1945, and Controller in 1946-1947. After his short stint as mayor he resumed what proved to be a successful legal career and formed a partnership with his son, Tom Brophey Jr. Brophey’s last project was the acquisition of property for the E.C. Row Expressway. He passed away in 1987 at the age of 79.
Sources:
Briefly mayor, lawyer dies at 79. The Windsor Star, Mar 9, 1987. Retrieved April 17, 2018
Municipal Archives, Windsor Public Library, Reference Code: CA ON00363 MS26
New Windsor Mayor Writes Law Exams Monday. Windsor Star. December 8, 1950.
Recount Issue Hot in Windsor; Council to Vote. Windsor Star. December 29, 1950.
That’s All for Brophey. Windsor Star. February 9, 1951.