Duncan Gordon Blair (23 December 1919 – 14 June 2006) was a Canadian lawyer, politician, judge and a

Liberal party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

member of the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

. He was born in

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina () is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 C ...

. Blair was educated in Regina before receiving a bachelor of arts degree in 1939 and a bachelor of law degree in 1941 from the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

. He was called to the Bar of Saskatchewan in 1942 and Bar of Ontario in 1952. A 1941

Rhodes Scholar The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

, he attended Exeter College where he studied law and received a bachelor of civil law in 1947. During

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, he served as a lieutenant with the

Irish Regiment of Canada , colors = , identification_symbol = Caubeen , identification_symbol_label = Headdress , identification_symbol_2 = O'Saffron , identification_symbol_2_label = Tartan , identification_symbol_4 = , ...

and was wounded in

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in 1944. After the war, he served as a foreign service officer with the Department of External Affairs from 1945 to 1947. From 1948 to 1950, he was a partner with the law firm of Francis, Woods, Gauley & Blair. From 1951 to 1952, he was executive assistant to the Minister of Justice. From 1953 to 1975, he was a partner with the law firm of Herridge, Tolmie, Gray, Coyne & Blair in Ottawa. He was created a Queen's Counsel in 1975. He was elected to the

for the riding of

Grenville—Carleton Grenville–Carleton was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1968 to 1979. It was located in the province of Ontario. This riding was created in 1966 from parts of Carleton and Grenville—Dundas r ...

in the 1968 federal election. A

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, he was defeated in the 1972 federal election by Walter Baker of the Progressive Conservative party. In 1976, he was appointed to the

Court of Appeal for Ontario The Court of Appeal for Ontario (frequently referred to as the Ontario Court of Appeal or ONCA) is the appellate court for the province of Ontario, Canada. The seat of the court is Osgoode Hall in downtown Toronto, also the seat of the Law Societ ...

where he served until 1994. From 1994 to 1998, he was the grand president of the

Royal Canadian Legion The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization (veterans' organization) founded in 1925. Membership includes people who have served as military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, Royal ...

. In 1998, he was made a member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

References

Gordon Blair archives, Library and Archives Canada

* ttp://utpress.utpress.utoronto.ca/cgi-bin/cw2w3.cgi?p=biro&t=96062&d=1515 Canadian Who's Who 1997 entry

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blair, Gordon Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Liberal Party of Canada MPs Politicians from Regina, Saskatchewan 1919 births 2006 deaths Alumni of Exeter College, Oxford Judges in Ontario Canadian Rhodes Scholars Members of the Order of Canada Members of the United Church of Canada Lawyers in Ontario Canadian King's Counsel University of Saskatchewan alumni University of Saskatchewan College of Law alumni