Thibaudeau Rinfret (June 22, 1879 – July 25, 1962) 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 ...

jurist who served as the ninth

Chief Justice of Canada The chief justice of Canada () is the presiding judge of the nine-member Supreme Court of Canada, the highest judicial body in Canada. As such, the chief justice is the highest-ranking judge of the Canadian court system. The '' Supreme Court Ac ...

from 1944 to 1954 and briefly as Administrator of Canada from January to February 1952. He also served as a

puisne justice Puisne judge and puisne justice () are terms for an ordinary judge or a judge of lesser rank of a particular court. The term comes from a combination of the two French words, (since, later) and (born) which have been combined as or ; meaning ...

of 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 ...

from 1924 to 1944.

Early life

Rinfret was born in Montreal in 1879, the son of François-Olivier Rinfret and Albina Pominville. He was the brother of Fernand Rinfret, Liberal politician who became Mayor of Montreal, and brother of Charles Rinfret, a prominent Montreal businessman.

Professional career

Rinfret studied law at the Université Laval à Montréal, Faculté de droit and

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

and was called to the

Bar of Quebec The Bar of Quebec () is the regulatory body for the practice of advocates in the Canadian province of Quebec and one of two legal regulatory bodies in the province. It was founded on May 30, 1849, as the Bar of Lower Canada (). History The begi ...

in 1901. He was appointed to the Quebec Superior Court in 1922 and to the

in 1924. Rinfret became Chief Justice on January 8, 1944, and served until his retirement on June 22, 1954. During his term as Chief Justice, Canada ended appeals to the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 August ...

making the Supreme Court of Canada the final court of appeal in Canadian jurisprudence.''Supreme Court Amendment Act'', S.C. 1949 (2nd. session), c. 37, s. 3. Rinfret was Administrator of the Government in 1952 after the departure of

Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis Field marshal (United Kingdom), Field Marshal Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis (10 December 1891 – 16 June 1969), was a senior and highly decorated British Army officer who served in both of the world wars. ...

, and until

Vincent Massey Charles Vincent Massey (February 20, 1887December 30, 1967) was a Canadian diplomat and statesman who served as the 18th governor general of Canada from 1952 to 1959. Massey was the first governor general of Canada who was born in Canada. Mas ...

could officially be sworn in as Governor General of Canada. During this time he proclaimed Elizabeth II as Queen of Canada, following the death of

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...

Personal life

Rinfret's son was the Quebec politician and judge Édouard Rinfret.

Electoral record

References

External links

Supreme Court of Canada Biography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rinfret, Thibaudeau 1879 births 1962 deaths Chief justices of Canada Governors general of Canada Lawyers in Quebec McGill University alumni Université de Montréal Faculty of Law alumni McGill University Faculty of Law alumni Canadian members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour Canadian King's Counsel Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Gregory the Great Members of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council Université Laval alumni