Mr. L.R. MacTavish

This oral history interview with L.R. MacTavish provides a comprehensive account of a distinguished legal career spanning the mid-20th century. MacTavish traces his family background to the 1837 Rebellion through his great-grandfather Frederick C. Johnson, and describes his upbringing in a culturally rich household where his father was a journalist and magazine editor who knew prominent Canadian writers and painters, while his mother was involved in the suffragette movement and founding of the Home and School Movement. After education at University of Toronto Schools (1918-1924) where he knew John Robinette, MacTavish chose the five-year articling system over university, working with the firm Starr, Spence, Fraser and Hall before transitioning to mining promotion work and eventually government service.

MacTavish’s government career began in 1935 when Attorney General Arthur Roebuck called him to service, leading to significant roles including Registrar and Assistant Counsel for the Royal Commission on Public Halls (1944) investigating safety issues following fatal dance hall fires. He notably declined an early K.C. appointment in 1937 along with Eric Silk and others, believing it inappropriate for young lawyers to receive such recognition, before accepting the honor in 1944. His career included work on civil service classification, revision of House Rules and Surrogate Court Rules, and various committee positions. After retiring from the Public Service of Ontario in 1970, he continued as a legal consultant specializing in drafting matters, while maintaining active involvement in numerous professional organizations and Scottish cultural societies.

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