- Robert Taschereau
Robert Taschereau, PC, CC (
September 10 ,1896 –July 26 ,1970 ) was a lawyer who became Chief Justice of theSupreme Court of Canada and who briefly served as actingGovernor General of Canada following the death ofGeorges Vanier in 1967. He was born inQuebec .Following a career as a
lawyer , Taschereau entered politics as a Liberal and successfully won a seat in theQuebec National Assembly in 1930. He held his seat of the riding of Bellechasse until retiring in 1936.On
February 9 ,1940 , he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada, filling the vacancy created by the death of his former law partner, Lawrence Cannon.In 1946, he and fellow Justice R. L. Kellock conducted the
Royal Commission on Spying Activities in Canada that had been prompted by theGouzenko Affair .Taschereau was promoted to Chief Justice in 1963.
According to the Canadian rules of succession, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is second-in-line to the Governor Generalship, and serves in an interim capacity until a new one can be recommended by the Prime Minister and chosen by the Queen.
Taschereau acted as Governor General from Vanier's death on
March 5 toApril 17 ,1967 at which point Prime MinisterLester Pearson and the Queen appointedRoland Michener as the new Governor General.Taschereau remained in the Supreme Court until retiring in 1967.
In 1967 he was made a Companion of the
Order of Canada .Robert Taschereau died in 1970 at the age of 73, and was interred in the family plot at the
Cimetière Notre-Dame-de-Belmont inSainte-Foy, Quebec .His father,
Louis-Alexandre Taschereau , had beenPremier of Quebec and his grandfather, SirHenri Elzéar Taschereau , had also served as Chief Justice of Canada.External links
* [http://www.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/honours-desc.asp?lang=e&TypeID=orc&id=2317 Order of Canada Citation]
* [http://www.scc-csc.gc.ca/aboutcourt/judges/taschereau3/index_e.asp Supreme Court of Canada bio]
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