Francis Alexander Anglin
Francis Alexander Anglin | |
|---|---|
| 7th Chief Justice of Canada | |
| In office September 16, 1924 – February 28, 1933 | |
| Nominated by | W. L. Mackenzie King |
| Preceded by | Louis Henry Davies |
| Succeeded by | Lyman Duff |
| Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada | |
| In office February 23, 1909 – September 16, 1924 | |
| Nominated by | Wilfrid Laurier |
| Preceded by | James Maclennan |
| Succeeded by | Edmund Leslie Newcombe |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 2, 1865 |
| Died | March 2, 1933 (aged 67) |
| Relations | Timothy Anglin, father Margaret Anglin, sister |
Francis Alexander Anglin PC (April 2, 1865 – March 2, 1933) was a Canadian lawyer and judge who served as the seventh Chief Justice of Canada from 1924 until 1933.
Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, he was the son of Timothy Anglin, a prominent politician and Speaker of the House of Commons, and the brother of acclaimed stage actress Margaret Anglin. After earning degrees in arts and law from the College of Ottawa, Anglin was called to the Ontario Bar in 1888 and quickly established a reputation as a skilled lawyer in Toronto.
Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier appointed Anglin to the Ontario High Court of Justice in 1904, and was later elevated to the Supreme Court of Canada in 1909. Both appointments were the result of political patronage. In 1924, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King elevated Anglin to the role of Chief Justice of Canada. He held that position until his retirement due to health issues in 1933. He died three days after his retirement.
Anglin is known as a better than average justice of the Court, who favoured a more expansive interpretation of the federal government's authority in constitutional matters, a position in opposition of the dominate jurisprudence by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. His most notable judgement was in the Persons case where he refused to interpret the term "person" in the Constitution Act, 1867 to include women for the purpose of appointments to the Senate of Canada. Anglin's opinion which was overturned by the Privy Council, is among the most criticized decisions in the history of the Supreme Court of Canada.