- William Osgoode
William Osgoode (March 1754 –
January 17 1824 ) was the first Chief Justice ofOntario ,Canada .He was born William Osgood in
London ,England in 1754. He attendedChrist Church, Oxford and was called to the bar in 1779. OnDecember 31 1791 , he was appointed first Chief Justice ofUpper Canada . Although he mainly sought the opinions of lawyers from England, Osgoode attempted to adapt the English civil law of the time to fit the needs of a developing colony. For example, he allowed justices of the peace to perform marriages when Anglican priests were not readily available. Osgoode's Judicature Act of 1794 established a system of district courts and a superior provincial court. During his term, legislation was also introduced to abolishslavery . Osgoode also served as a member ofJohn Graves Simcoe 's Executive Council for Upper Canada.In 1794, he became Chief Justice of
Lower Canada . Osgoode came into conflict with GovernorRobert Prescott over an attempt to sort out the issue of land grants in the region. When Prescott was recalled, he came into conflict with Prescott's successor, Lieutenant GovernorRobert Shore Milnes . In 1801, Osgoode resigned and returned to London. He died there in 1824.Osgoode Hall , the headquarters of theLaw Society of Upper Canada , was named after him, as wasOsgoode Hall Law School . In addition, the former Osgoode Township in Ontario also bears his name.External links
* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=3056 Biography at the "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]
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