LogoutMr. Gordon Farquharson
This oral history interview covers the legal career of Gordon Farquharson, who was born in 1921 in Toronto to Scottish immigrant parents. After serving as a decorated Spitfire pilot in WWII, Farquharson attended Osgoode Hall Law School under the veterans’ program and was called to the bar in 1948. He established a sole practice in Peterborough in 1948, later forming a partnership with James Daly in 1954 that continues today as a family firm with his daughter Ann.
Farquharson’s practice was diverse, encompassing criminal law, civil litigation, and significant municipal law work as City Solicitor for Peterborough from 1958-1981. He handled numerous Municipal Board hearings and notable cases including Fenn v. City of Peterborough (gas explosion), McGuinness v. Dunford (trailer case), and various police commission matters. His career demonstrates the evolution of small-town legal practice in post-war Ontario.
A dedicated member of the legal profession, Farquharson served as a Law Society Bencher from 1975 onwards, participating on the Libraries Committee, Compensation Committee, and Discipline Committee. He was also active in the Canadian Bar Association and briefly considered judicial appointment. The interview provides valuable insights into the transformation of legal education, the growth of Law Society services, and the challenges facing small-town practitioners in relation to Toronto-based legal institutions.
This description was written by AI and may contain some inaccuracies.
References
The following are a selection of topics discussed in this oral history.
- County Court of Peterborough
- Family Court
- Municipal Board
- Ontario Court of Appeal
- Provincial Courts
- Supreme Court of Canada
- Osgoode Hall Law School
- University of British Columbia Faculty of Law
- University of Ottawa Faculty of Law
- Attorney General's Department
- City of Peterborough
- Department of Justice
- Peterborough Police Commission
- Peterborough Utilities Commission
- Battle of Britain
- Charter of Rights and Freedoms Adoption
- Normandy Invasion
- Patriation of the Constitution
- World War II
- British Columbia
- Canada
- Ontario
- Peterborough
- Toronto
- Blake, Cassels & Graydon
- Borden and Elliot
- Fennell McLean & Davis
- Mason Foulds
- McCarthy Tétrault
- Tilley Carson
- Angevaare v. McKay
- Fenn v. City of Peterborough
- Harris v. Community Finance Corporation
- McGuinness v. Dunford
- Myllynen v. Board of Police Commissioners
- Re: Lewis and Peterborough Police Commissioners
- Re: Mostyn's Collingwood Limited and V.& G. Trust
- Ann Farquharson
- Arthur Fair
- Arthur Martin
- Bill Common
- Bill Grant
- Bora Laskin
- Cecil Snyder
- Charlie Dubin
- Clare Hope
- Dana Porter
- Emmett Sheehey
- F.D. Kerr
- George Finlayson
- George Gale
- George Walsh
- Gordon Farquharson
- James Daly
- John Bowlby
- John Falconbridge
- Tom Carley
- Tom Delaney
- Canadian Bar Association
- Law Society of Upper Canada
- Peterborough Law Association
- The Advocates' Society
- 1940s
- 1950s
- 1960s
- 1970s
- 1980s
- Administrative Law
- Charter Rights
- Civil Litigation
- Criminal Law
- Family Law
- Insurance Law
- Legal Ethics
- Municipal Law
- Professional Discipline
- Real Estate Law
Some of these references were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Archive Details
File consists of oral history records documenting the life and career of Gordon Farquharson (b. 1921), a lawyer called to the Bar of Ontario in 1948. Interview topics include: family background and history; World War II; articling _ Attorney General�s Department; career in Peterborough; Law Society of Upper Canada; Canadian Bar Association; approach to be a Judge; and select cases, among others. File consists of a transcript with index (164 p.).