George Alexander Gale
Encyclopedia
George Alexander Gale, (June 24, 1906July 25, 1997) was a Chief Justice
for the province of Ontario
, Canada
from 1967 until his 1976 retirement from that post.
Born in Quebec City
, he would move to Vancouver
, British Columbia
for his youth before settling in Toronto
for his legal career.
, a Toronto theological school affiliated with the Anglican Church of Canada
. He was also active within that church denomination as a member and Churchwarden
(1956-1960) of Toronto's St John's York Mills parish.
Gale donated a trophy in 1973 for a competition which is today known as the Gale Cup Moot which demonstrates skills in legal argumentation using staged proceedings.
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
for the province of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
from 1967 until his 1976 retirement from that post.
Born in Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
, he would move to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
for his youth before settling in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
for his legal career.
Education and career time line
- 1929: Gale graduated from the University of TorontoUniversity of TorontoThe University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
where he received his Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of ArtsA Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both... - 1932: Formally became a lawyer following further studies at the Osgoode Hall Law SchoolOsgoode Hall Law SchoolOsgoode Hall Law School is a Canadian law school, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and affiliated with York University. Named after the first Chief Justice of Ontario, William Osgoode, the law school was established by The Law Society of Upper Canada in 1889 and was the only accredited law...
- 1944: Became partner of Toronto legal firm Donald, Mason, Weir & Foulds (today known as WeirFoulds LLP
- 1946: Designated King's Counsel in 1946
- 30 October 1946: Became a judge for the Trial Division of Ontario's High Court of Justice
- 1952: King's Counsel designation became Queen's CounselQueen's CounselQueen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
upon the 1952 accession of Queen Elizabeth IIElizabeth II of the United KingdomElizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,... - 1956: Chief editor for what would be known as "Holmestead & Gale", a rewriting of Ontario's court rules
- 1963: Became member of the Ontario Court of Appeal
- 1 June 1964: Became Chief Justice of Ontario's High Court of Justice
- 21 September 1967: Became Chief Justice of Ontario, the province's highest judicial position
- 1968: Joined executive of the Canadian Judicial Council
- 1969: Judicial Council of Ontario is created with Gale as its first Chairman
- 1976: Retired as Chief Justice of Ontario, subsequently joining the Ontario Law Reform Commission as vice-chair
- 1979: Joined the (Ontario) Premier's Advisory Committee on Confederation
Other roles
From 1956, he also served for a long term on the Board of Governors of Wycliffe CollegeWycliffe College
Wycliffe College is an Anglican Church of Canada seminary federated with the University of Toronto. It is evangelical and Low church in orientation. On the other hand, the University of Toronto's other Anglican college, the University of Trinity College is Anglo-Catholic in outlook. While being an...
, a Toronto theological school affiliated with the Anglican Church of Canada
Anglican Church of Canada
The Anglican Church of Canada is the Province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French name is l'Église Anglicane du Canada. The ACC is the third largest church in Canada after the Roman Catholic Church and the United Church of Canada, consisting of 800,000 registered members...
. He was also active within that church denomination as a member and Churchwarden
Churchwarden
A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish church or congregation of the Anglican Communion, usually working as a part-time volunteer. Holders of these positions are ex officio members of the parish board, usually called a vestry, parish council, parochial church council, or in the case of a...
(1956-1960) of Toronto's St John's York Mills parish.
Gale donated a trophy in 1973 for a competition which is today known as the Gale Cup Moot which demonstrates skills in legal argumentation using staged proceedings.
Honours
- 1969: Honorary Doctor of Laws, York UniversityYork UniversityYork University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
- 1977: Companion of the Order of CanadaOrder of CanadaThe Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
External links
- Harry Palmer Gallery: George Alexander Gale
- Gale Cup Moot (Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP news release, CNW GroupCNW GroupCNW Group is a commercial news release service established in 1960 and jointly owned by PR Newswire and The Press Association. CNW distributes media materials on behalf of a variety of customers such as companies, governments, non-profit agencies and other establishments.CNW distributes...
, 20 February 2006)