Francis Alexander Anglin

Francis Alexander Anglin

Francis Alexander Anglin , PC ( April 2, 1865 in Saint John , New Brunswick , † March 2, 1933 in Ottawa ) was a Canadian judge . He was a member of the Supreme Court of Canada from 1909 until his death and was its Chairman ( Chief Justice ) from 1924 .

biography

He was one of nine children of Timothy Anglin , a Liberal MP in the House of Commons ; his younger sister Margaret Anglin became known as a Broadway stage actress around the turn of the century . Anglin received his education at the Collège Sainte-Marie in Montreal , then he studied at the University of Ottawa . In 1888 he was admitted to the bar and opened the law firm Anglin & Mallon in Toronto . In 1896 he became secretary at the Ontario Province Inheritance Court .

In 1904, Anglin was elected Judge in the Tax Department of the Ontario Supreme Court. Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier appointed him to the Supreme Court of Canada on February 23, 1909 . On September 16, 1924, after being appointed by William Lyon Mackenzie King, he succeeded the late Louis Henry Davies as Chief Justice .

The most important case to be judged by the court under Anglin's presidency was Edwards v. Canada (Attorney General) in 1928. It was about the question of whether women are allowed to serve in the Senate . The decision made by Anglin stated that the term "persons" mentioned in the constitution generally includes women, but not in this specific case. The judicial committee of the British Privy Council , at that time still the highest judicial authority for all areas of the British Empire , overturned this decision a year later and thus made the appointment of women senators possible. Anglin remained in office until February 28, 1934 and died two days after his resignation.

See also

• List of justices at the Supreme Court of Canada

Web links

• Supreme Court of Canada - Portrait (English)