James Maclennan Explained

James Maclennan
Office1:Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
Predecessor1:Wallace Nesbitt
Successor1:Francis Alexander Anglin
Term Start1:October 5, 1905
Term End1:February 13, 1909
Nominator1:Wilfrid Laurier
Constituency Mp2:Victoria North
Parliament2:Canadian
Predecessor2:Joseph Staples
Successor2:Hector Cameron
Term Start2:1874
Term End2:1875
Birth Date:17 March 1833
Birth Place:Lancaster, Upper Canada
Death Place:Toronto, Ontario
Party:Liberal
Alma Mater:Queen's University
Profession:Lawyer
Honorific Prefix:The Honourable

James Maclennan (March 17, 1833  - June 9, 1915) was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and Puisne judge of the Supreme Court of Canada.

Born in the township of Lancaster, Upper Canada (now Ontario), the son of Roderick Maclennan and Mary Macpherson, he received a Bachelor of Arts from Queen's University in 1849. He studied to be a lawyer and was called to the bar in 1857. He practised law with Oliver Mowat in Toronto until 1888, when he was appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal. He was the editor of The Ontario Judicature Act, 1881 (1884)[1]

Maclennan ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Ontario assembly in 1871.[2] In the 1874 federal election, he was elected to the House of Commons of Canada in the riding of Victoria North. However, the election was declared void. He won the by-election in 1874 but again the election was declared void. In 1905, he was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada and retired in 1909.[3]

Maclennan was married twice: to Elizabeth McGill in 1862 and to Mary L. Strange in 1909,[2] possibly children, but none surviving him.[4]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Maclennan. James. The Ontario Judicature Act, 1881 (1884). 1881 . 1884 . Toronto. 542 (818).
  2. Book: Johnson, J.K. . The Canadian Directory of Parliament 1867-1967 . 1968 . Public Archives of Canada.
  3. Web site: Supreme Court of Canada biography . 2014-07-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140806000554/http://www.scc-csc.gc.ca/court-cour/judges-juges/bio-eng.aspx?id=james-maclennan . 2014-08-06 . dead .
  4. Book: MacGillivray. Royce. Dictionary of Glengarry Biography. 2010. Glengarry Historical Society. Alexandria, Ontario. 9780968071120. 503.