John Douglas Arnup, (May 24, 1911 – October 5, 2005) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

on 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 ...

, who is best known for having pioneered universal

legal aid Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people who are unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right to co ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Early life and education

Born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, the son of Jesse H. Arnup (1881–1965), a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

minister who was Moderator of the

United Church of Canada The United Church of Canada (french: link=no, Église unie du Canada) is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholi ...

from 1945 to 1946, and Ella Maud Leeson (1883–1966). He attended

Oakwood Collegiate Institute Oakwood Collegiate Institute (commonly known as OCI or Oakwood) is a public high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located near the neighbourhoods of Regal Heights, Oakwood-Vaughan and Bracondale Hill. History and Alumni Oakwood was foun ...

in Toronto, and then received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from Victoria College in the University of Toronto in 1932. He received a Bachelor of Laws degree from

Osgoode Hall Law School Osgoode Hall Law School, commonly shortened to Osgoode, is the law school of York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The law school is home to the Law Commission of Ontario, the Journal of Law and Social Policy, and the ''Osgoode Hall La ...

in 1935. He was called to the Ontario bar in 1935.

Career

Arnup was named a

King's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

in 1950 and practiced law with Mason, Foulds, Davidson, Carter & Kellock (now

WeirFoulds LLP WeirFoulds LLP is a Canadian law firm based in Toronto, Ontario. The firm specializes in litigation, corporate, property and government law. It is one of Canada's oldest law firms. History In 1860, Theodore H. Spencer, LL.B., began his practice ...

). He became one of the leading litigators in Ontario courts, and was named a King's Counsel in 1950. In 1968 he won a notable victory over another noted litigator, John Robinette, in the four-year-long Texas Gulf Sulphur case, at the time the longest civil trial in Canadian legal history.

Bertha Wilson Bertha Wernham Wilson (September 18, 1923April 28, 2007) was a Canadian jurist and the first female puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Before her ascension to Canada's highest court, she was the first female associate and partner at ...

, later a judge of the

Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, wh ...

, described it as "Ontario's two most outstanding counsel facing off against each other under the keen and critical eye of its most outstanding judge," George "Bill" Gale. In 1949 Arnup played a role in the reorganization of legal education in Ontario in 1949, and he was a bencher (board member) of the Law Society of Upper Canada from 1951 to 1970. As treasurer (president) of the law society 1964-66, he guided the development of Ontario's first program of paid legal aid and facilitated the move of Osgoode Hall Law School from the Law Society to York University. In 1970 Justice Gale, by then Chief Justice of Ontario, was seeking to strengthen the

by recruiting top advocates, beginning with Arnup. "If I can get you, I can get anybody," Gale told Arnup, and Arnup accepted the appointment. Until his retirement in 1985, he was part of what grew into one of Canada's most respected appellate courts. In 1988, his book ''Middleton: The Beloved Judge'', a biography of former justice of the Supreme Court of Ontario William Middleton, was published. In 1989, he was made an Officer 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 ...

"for his contributions to his Church, to legal education in the Province of Ontario and for his work in the development of Osgoode Hall Law School". Death Arnup died on October 5, 2005, In Toronto Canada. He had a illness since October 1. He was 94.

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Arnup, John 1911 births 2005 deaths Lawyers in Ontario Judges in Ontario Officers of the Order of Canada People from Toronto Members of the United Church of Canada Treasurers of the Law Society of Upper Canada University of Toronto alumni Osgoode Hall Law School alumni Canadian King's Counsel