Mr. Herb Langdon

Herbert Langdon served as a Crown Law Officer in Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General from 1969 to 1983, following earlier service as an Assistant Crown Attorney from 1953-1966. This comprehensive oral history captures his experiences prosecuting major criminal cases, including organized crime figures like Johnny Papalia and high-profile fraud prosecutions that reached the Supreme Court of Canada. Langdon details the informal culture of the Crown Attorney’s office in the 1950s and 1960s, describing colorful colleagues like David Humphrey and the close relationships between prosecutors, defense counsel, and judges that characterized legal practice before modern ethical guidelines.

As Deputy Director of Crown Attorneys, Langdon initiated Ontario’s Provincial Prosecutor system in the early 1970s to replace police prosecutors in traffic courts. He provides insider perspectives on various Attorneys General including Roy McMurtry, whom he greatly admired, and Deputy Ministers like Frank Callaghan. The interview reveals the dramatic changes in criminal procedure during his career, from minimal disclosure requirements in the 1950s to complex Charter-era protections, which necessitated massive expansion of Crown Attorney staff to handle the increased workload of individual cases.

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