Laurence Yeomans Cairns (May 19, 1892 – July 27, 1967) was a
Canadian lawyer and judge. He served as Chancellor of the
University of Alberta from 1958 to 1964.
Cairns was born in
Winnipeg, Manitoba. He attended the
University of Alberta, graduating in its inaugural class of 1912 with a
Bachelor of Arts degree. In 1915, he earned a
Doctor of Laws (LLB) degree from the university. He was a veteran of
World War I, and later was a lawyer in
Edmonton. He was appointed King's Counsel in 1935 and was a judge on the District Court of Northern Alberta and on the Supreme Court of Alberta. In 1950, he was President of the Alberta Law Society. Cairns also served as an
Edmonton Public School Board
Edmonton Public Schools (legally Edmonton School Division) is the largest public school division in Edmonton, the second largest in Alberta, and the sixth largest in Canada. The division offers a variety of alternative and special needs programs, ...
trustee in the 1930s, and as Chairman of the Edmonton Public School Board. Cairns contested the
1940 Alberta general election
The 1940 Alberta general election was held on March 21, 1940, to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.
Despite its failure to implement its key policy, providing prosperity certificates to all Albertans, the Social Credit Party ...
for the
Edmonton electoral district as an independent, while he came sixth in first ballot votes, he would not receive enough support on later ballots to be elected. Cairns died in 1967.
L.Y. Cairns School in Edmonton, opened in 1969, is named for him.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cairns, L.Y.
1892 births
1967 deaths
Canadian King's Counsel
Chancellors of the University of Alberta
People from Winnipeg
Judges in Alberta
University of Alberta alumni