John Skirving Ewart, (August 11, 1849February 21, 1933) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

lawyer and author best known as an advocate for the independence of Canada. Ewart was born in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario, on August 11, 1849, to Thomas Ewart and Catherine Seaton Skirving. His grandfather was Toronto architect

John Ewart John Reford Ewart (26 February 1928 – 8 March 1994) was an Australian actor of radio, stage, television and film. Ewart was a double nominee (and one/time winner) of the AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Early life Ewart was ...

, and his uncle Sir Oliver Mowat. He married Jessie Campbell in 1873. He was educated at

Upper Canada College Upper Canada College (UCC) is an independent day and boarding school for boys in Toronto, Ontario, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The college is widely described as Canada's most prestigious preparatory school, and ha ...

and

Osgoode Hall Law School Osgoode Hall Law School, commonly shortened to Osgoode, is the law school of York University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is home to the Law Commission of Ontario, the ''Journal of Law and Social Policy'', and the ''Osgoode Hall Law Journal ...

, and was called to the bar in 1871 (Q.C., 1884). His legal career spanned work in Toronto, Winnipeg and Ottawa. He was the author of many essays and articles, and a passionate advocate for the independence of Canada. In 1894, Ewart argued on behalf of French and Roman Catholics of Manitoba at the

Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; , ) is the highest court in the judicial system of Canada. It comprises nine justices, whose decisions are the ultimate application of Canadian law, and grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants eac ...

in ''In Re Statutes of Manitoba relating to Education'' as part of the

Manitoba Schools Question The Manitoba Schools Question () was a political crisis in the Canadian province of Manitoba that occurred late in the 19th century, attacking publicly-funded separate schools for Roman Catholics and Protestants. The crisis was precipitated by a ...

. He died in Ottawa and is buried at

Beechwood Cemetery Beechwood Cemetery is the national cemetery of Canada, located in Vanier, Ottawa, Ontario. Over 82,000 people are buried in the cemetery, including Governor General Ramon Hnatyshyn, Prime Minister Robert Borden, and several members of Parlia ...

Published works

* ''The Kingdom of Canada: Imperial Federation, The Colonial Conferences, The Alaska Boundary, and Other Essays'' (Toronto, 1908) * ''John A. Macdonald and the Canadian Flag'' (Toronto, 1908) * ''Canadian Independence'' (Toronto, 1911) *''Waiver Distributed Among the Departments: Election, Estoppel, Contract, Release'' (Cambridge, 1917) * ''The Roots and Causes of the Wars (1914-1918)'' (2 vols., New York, 1925) * Two series of brochures: ** ''The Kingdom Papers'', nos. 1-19 (Ottawa, 1911-4) ** ''The Independence Papers'' (Ottawa, 2 vols., 1925–30).

References

External links

John S. Ewart
Quebec History {{DEFAULTSORT:Ewart, J. S. 1849 births 1933 deaths Canadian lawyers Canadian male non-fiction writers Canadian King's Counsel People from Old Toronto Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Writers from Toronto York University alumni