John Wallace de Beque Farris, (December 3, 1878 – February 25, 1970) 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 ...

lawyer and politician. Born in White's Cove, New Brunswick, the son of Laughlin P. Farris and Louise Hay, he was educated at St. Martin's Seminary, received his Bachelor of Arts from

Acadia University Acadia University is a public, predominantly undergraduate university located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada, with some graduate programs at the master's level and one at the doctoral level. The enabling legislation consists of the Acadia ...

and received his

Bachelor of Law Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

. In 1905, Farris married Evlyn Fenwick Keirstead of

Windsor, Nova Scotia Windsor is a community located in Hants County, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a service centre for the western part of the county and is situated on Highway 101. The community has a history dating back to its use by the Mi'kmaq Nation for sev ...

. They had four children : Katherine Hay, Donald Fenwick, Ralph Keirstead and John Lauchlan. He was called to the British Columbia Bar in 1903. He founded the law firm now called Farris LLP and was the first prosecutor of

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, British Columbia. In

1907 Events January * January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000. February * February 11 – The French warship ''Jean Bart'' sinks off the coast of Morocco. ...

, he ran unsuccessfully for the

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is the deliberative assembly of the Parliament of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The Legislative Assembly meets in Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria. Members ar ...

for the riding of

. He lost again in

1909 Events January–February * January 4 – Explorer Aeneas Mackintosh of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition escaped death by fleeing across ice floes. * January 7 – Colombia recognizes the independence of Panama. * Januar ...

for the riding of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

. He was elected in

1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that had been stored and cooled. * ...

as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

MLA for the riding of Vancouver and was re-elected in

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...

. From 1917 to 1922, he was the

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

and Minister of Labour. Farris was active in the

Canadian Bar Association The Canadian Bar Association (CBA), or Association du barreau canadien (ABC) in Canadian French, French, represents over 37,000 lawyers, judges, notaries, law teachers and law students from across Canada. History The Association's first Annu ...

, serving as President in 1937-38. In the 1930s and 1940s, Farris was instrumental in raising funds and persuading the provincial government to create the Faculty of Law at the University of British Columbia. Along with Nathan Nemetz, KC, Farris was the successful counsel in an appeal to the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Augus ...

: '' White v Kuzych'', a significant labour law case. Farris and Nemetz acted for White, the leader of the Boilermakers and Iron Shipbuilders Union, in a dispute with a union member, Myron Kuzych. In 1937, Farris was appointed to the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The Senate is modelled after the B ...

representing the senatorial division of Vancouver South, British Columbia. He served until his death in 1970. Late in life, he was known within the Liberal Party as a staunch supporter of

Pierre Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau ( , ; October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000), also referred to by his initials PET, was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada The prime mini ...

's leadership and an opponent of Senate reform.''Winnipeg Free Press'', 25 January 1969, p. 29.

Other spellings of name

* John Wallace Debeque Farris * John Wallace deBeque Farris

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Farris, Johnwallacedebeque 1878 births 1970 deaths Acadia University alumni University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni 20th-century Canadian lawyers Lawyers in British Columbia Canadian King's Counsel Canadian Bar Association Presidents British Columbia Liberal Party MLAs Canadian senators from British Columbia Liberal Party of Canada senators People from Queens County, New Brunswick Attorneys General of British Columbia