The Hon. John Arnup

This comprehensive oral history interview with Justice John Douglas Arnup (1911-) covers his distinguished career spanning over five decades in the Ontario legal profession. Born into a Methodist family in Toronto, with his father serving as an ordained Minister and later Moderator of the United Church of Canada, Arnup’s early life was shaped by strong religious values and modest circumstances. He began his legal career at Mason, Foulds law firm in the 1930s, where he worked under prominent partners including Gershom Mason and R.L. Kellock, handling diverse cases including will construction and the famous Dionne quintuplets legal matters.

During World War II, Arnup served with the Wartime Prices and Trade Board (1942-1944), working on price and rent controls and prosecuting regulatory violations. His career reached new heights when he served as Treasurer of the Law Society of Ontario from 1963-1966, during which he oversaw major transformations including the establishment of Legal Aid, the controversial transfer of Osgoode Hall Law School to York University, and handled the challenging Landreville judicial inquiry affair. The interview provides detailed insights into the personalities and contributions of numerous prominent Benchers and legal figures of the era.

At age 59, Arnup transitioned from his successful 35-year career as a lawyer and Bar leader to become a judge on the Ontario Court of Appeal. His judicial contributions included writing a unanimous Court of Appeal judgment that abolished the persona designata doctrine in Ontario, following earlier Supreme Court of Canada decisions by Justices Laskin and Dickson. Throughout the interview, Arnup reflects on his dual career and expresses that his simple ambition was to be a good judge and make a solid contribution to justice during his time on the bench.

This description was written by AI and may contain some inaccuracies.