View source for John Robert Cartwright

{{Short description|Chief Justice of Canada from 1967 to 1970}}
{{Infobox Judge
| honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name             = John Robert Cartwright
| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC|CC|MC|size=100%}}
| image          = Rt. Hon. John Robert Cartwright (cropped).jpg
| imagesize      = 
| caption        = Justice Cartwright, c. 1953
| office         = 12th [[Chief Justice of Canada]]
| termstart      = September 1, 1967
| termend        = March 23, 1970
| nominator      = [[Lester B. Pearson]]
| appointer      = [[Roland Michener]]
| predecessor    = [[Robert Taschereau]]
| successor      = [[Gérald Fauteux]]
| office2        = [[Puisne Justice]] of the [[Supreme Court of Canada]]
| termstart2     = December 22, 1949
| termend2       = September 1, 1967
| nominator2     = [[Louis St. Laurent]]
| appointer2     = 
| predecessor2   = ''None (new position)''
| successor2     = [[Louis-Philippe Pigeon]]
| birth_date     = {{Birth date|1895|03|23}}
| birth_place    = [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]]
| death_date     = {{death date and age|1979|11|24|1895|03|23}}
| death_place    = 
| spouse         = 
}}
'''John Robert Cartwright''' {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC|CC|MC}} (March 23, 1895 &ndash; November 24, 1979) was a Canadian lawyer and judge who served as [[Chief Justice of Canada]] from 1967 until 1970 and as a [[List of justices of the Supreme Court of Canada|puisne justice]] from 1949 to 1967.

== Life and career ==
Born in [[Toronto]], Cartwright was the son of James Strachan Cartwright and Jane Elizabeth Young. After graduating from [[Upper Canada College]] in 1912, he enrolled at [[Osgoode Hall Law School]] and began his articles with Smith, Rae & Greer.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Supreme Court of Canada {{!}} The Right Honourable John Robert Cartwright, P.C., C.C., M.C. |url=https://www.scc-csc.ca/about-apropos/judges-juges/list-liste/john-robert-cartwright/ |access-date=2025-06-29 |website=www.scc-csc.ca}}</ref>

He interrupted his studies in 1914 to serve overseas with the armed forces during the [[World War I|First World War]]. In 1915 he was wounded twice and for the following two years was an aide-de-camp to three successive generals. He was awarded the [[Military Cross]] in 1917.<ref name=":0" />

Upon his return to Canada, he resumed his study of law. He was called to the bar in 1920, then joined the firm of Smith, Rae & Greer in [[Toronto]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Medals, Awards and Prizes {{!}} Osgoode Hall Law School - York University |url=https://www.osgoode.yorku.ca/programs/juris-doctor/access-and-support/financial-services/funding-sources/scholarships-awards-and-prizes/medals-awards-prizes/ |access-date=2025-06-29 |website=Osgoode Hall Law School |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 1947 he was counsel for the Government of Canada in the prosecutions that resulted from the findings of the [[Kellock-Taschereau Commission|Royal Commission on Spying Activities in Canada]], which had been chaired by justices [[Robert Taschereau]] and [[Roy Kellock]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Callwood |first=June |author-link=June Callwood |date=1984 |title=Emma: The True Story of Canada's Unlikely Spy |url=https://archive.org/details/emma00call |publisher=Stoddart Publishing. |place=Toronto, Ontario |isbn=077372026X}}</ref>

He was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada on December 22, 1949 and became its chief justice on September 1, 1967. He served on the Supreme Court for 20 years and retired on March 23, 1970. The following year, he accepted a position with the law firm [[Gowlings|Gowling and Henderson]] as counsel.{{cn|date=September 2019}}

==Honours==

* 1917 – awarded the [[Military Cross]].
* 1918 – awarded the [[1914–15 Star]]
* 1919 – awarded the [[British War Medal]].
* 1919 – awarded the [[Victory Medal (United Kingdom)|WWI Victory Medal]].
* 1967 – sworn as a member of the [[Queen's Privy Council for Canada]].
* 1967 – awarded the [[Canadian Centennial Medal]].
* 1969 – awarded an honorary [[Doctor of Laws]] from [[York University]].
* 1970 – made a Companion of the [[Order of Canada]] (CC).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gg.ca/honour.aspx?id=12950&t=12&ln=Cartwright|title = Recipients|date = 11 June 2018}}</ref>
* 1977 – awarded the Canadian Version of the [[Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal]].

==References==
<references />

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150418182438/http://scc-csc.gc.ca/court-cour/judges-juges/bio-eng.aspx?id=john-robert-cartwright Supreme Court of Canada biography]
*{{Canadian honour|Type=orc|ID=1874|accessdate=26 May 2010}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cartwright, John Robert}}
[[Category:1895 births]]
[[Category:1979 deaths]]
[[Category:Canadian military personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:Canadian Anglicans]]
[[Category:Chief justices of Canada]]
[[Category:Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada]]
[[Category:Lawyers in Ontario]]
[[Category:Companions of the Order of Canada]]
[[Category:Osgoode Hall Law School alumni]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Toronto]]
[[Category:Canadian recipients of the Military Cross]]
[[Category:Upper Canada College alumni]]