View source for Patrick Kerwin

{{Short description|Chief Justice of Canada from 1954 to 1963}}
{{For|the Australian politician|Patrick Kerwin (politician)}}
{{Infobox Officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Honourable]]<!--His correct prefix is "The Honourable", not "The Right Honourable"-->
| name             = Patrick Kerwin
| honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC|size=100%}}
| image            = Patrick Kerwin (cropped).jpg
| caption          = Kerwin, c. 1954
| imagesize        = 
| order            = 10th
| office           = Chief Justice of Canada
| predecessor      = [[Thibaudeau Rinfret]]
| successor        = [[Robert Taschereau]]
| term_start       = July 1, 1954
| term_end         = February 2, 1963
| nominator        = [[Louis St. Laurent]]
| appointer        = 
| office2          = [[Puisne Justice]] of the [[Supreme Court of Canada]]
| predecessor2     = [[Robert Smith (Canadian judge)|Robert Smith]]/[[Frank Joseph Hughes]]
| successor2       = [[Douglas Abbott]]
| term_start2      = July 20, 1935
| term_end2        = July 1, 1954
| nominator2       = [[R. B. Bennett|Richard Bedford Bennett]]
| appointer2       = 
| birth_date       = {{birth date|1889|10|25}}
| birth_place      = [[Sarnia]], [[Ontario]]
| death_date       = {{death date and age|1963|02|02|1889|10|25}}
| death_place      = 
| nationality      = Canadian
| spouse           = 
| party            = 
| relations        = 
| children         = 
| residence        = 
| alma_mater       = [https://web.archive.org/web/20140713035406/http://scits.lkdsb.net/index.asp Sarnia Collegiate Institute], [[Osgoode Hall Law School]]
| occupation       = 
| profession       = 
| religion         = 
}}
'''Patrick Kerwin''' {{post-nominals|country=CAN|PC}} (October 25, 1889 &ndash; February 2, 1963) was a Canadian judge who served as the tenth [[Chief Justice of Canada]] from 1954 to 1963 and as a [[puisne justice]] of the [[Supreme Court of Canada]] from 1935 to 1954.

== Life and career ==
Patrick Grandcourt Kerwin was born in [[Sarnia]], [[Ontario]] to Patrick Kerwin and Ellen Gavin.<ref name=":0" /> Kerwin attended [[Osgoode Hall Law School]] in 1908. He articled in Sarnia with R. V. Le Sueur. In 1911 Kerwin moved to [[Guelph]], where he practiced law for over 21 years with Guthrie and Guthrie, later changed to Guthrie and Kerwin. During that time, he served as solicitor for the city of Guelph and Wellington County, as well as Crown prosecutor. In 1932, he was appointed to the [[Supreme Court of Ontario|High Court of Ontario]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Supreme Court of Canada {{!}} The Honourable Patrick Kerwin, P.C. |url=https://scc-csc.gc.ca/about-apropos/judges-juges/list-liste/patrick-kerwin/ |access-date=2025-06-30 |website=scc-csc.gc.ca}}</ref>

=== Supreme Court of Canada ===
On July 20, 1935, Kerwin was appointed a [[puisne justice]] of the [[Supreme Court of Canada]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title = The Supreme Court of Canada and its Justices 1875-2000: La Cour suprême du Canada et ses juges 1875-2000|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=s8QhYNvBBxYC|publisher = Dundurn|date = 2000-11-01|isbn = 9781770700956|language = fr|first1 = Supreme Court of|last1 = Canada|first2 = Public Works and Government Services|last2 = Canada}}</ref> In 1954, after 19 years on the court, Kerwin was appointed as Chief Justice, replacing the retired [[Thibaudeau Rinfret]], with the honorific "[[The Honourable]]".<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title = Supreme at Last: The Evolution of the Supreme Court of Canada|url = https://archive.org/details/supremeatlastevo0000mcco|url-access = registration|publisher = James Lorimer & Company|date = 2000-01-01|isbn = 9781550286922|language = en|first = Peter|last = McCormick}}</ref><ref>[https://www.scc-csc.ca/judges-juges/bio-eng.aspx?id=patrick-kerwin "The Honourable Patrick Kerwin, P.C.", Supreme Court of Canada Biographies.]</ref>

Kerwin was considered an able judge and administrator.<ref name=":1" /> There was a minor controversy over him being Catholic, as Rinfret was also Catholic.<ref name=":1" /> Kerwin was deemed to be in poor health when appointed and there were rumours he would retire during his tenure but served 9 years.<ref name=":1" /> Five different puisne judges were appointed to the court during those years, an unusually high number.<ref name=":1" /> 

Kerwin died on February 2, 1963, at the age of 73.<ref name=":0" />

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |last1=McKenna |first1=Stephen G. |title=Grace and wisdom: Patrick G. Kerwin, 1889-1963, Chief Justice of Canada |date=2017 |publisher=Petra Books |location=Ottawa |isbn=978-1-927032-68-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/gracewisdompatri0000mcke |url-access=registration}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kerwin, Patrick}}
[[Category:Chief justices of Canada]]
[[Category:Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada]]
[[Category:People from Sarnia]]
[[Category:Canadian people of Irish descent]]
[[Category:1889 births]]
[[Category:1963 deaths]]
[[Category:Osgoode Hall Law School alumni]]
[[Category:Canadian King's Counsel]]