Sir William Glenholme Falconbridge, (May 12, 1846 – February 8, 1920) 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 judge in

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. Born in Drummondville (now

Niagara Falls, Ontario Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada, adjacent to, and named after, Niagara Falls. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, the city had a population of 94,415. The city is located on the Niagara Peninsula along the western bank of the ...

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

, he was the son of John Kennedy Falconbridge, an Irish immigrant, and Sarah Fralick. Falconbridge studied at the Richmond Hill grammar school, Barrie grammar school, and at the Model Grammar School 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 ...

. He received a BA degree in 1866 from

University College, University of Toronto University College, popularly referred to as UC, is a constituent college of the University of Toronto located at its St. George campus in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was created in 1853 specifically as an institution of higher learning free ...

. He served as the chair of modern languages at Yarmouth Seminary in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

for his health and then returned to Toronto where he was a lecturer in Spanish and Italian at University College. At the same time, he studied law with the law firm Morphy, Sullivan, and Fenton. He also studied with the firm of Patton, Osler, and Moss before being called to the Ontario Bar in 1871. He practiced law in the firm of Harrison, Osler, and Moss. In 1879, he was made a partner of the firm. In 1870, he received an MA degree from the University of Toronto and was registrar of the University from 1872 to 1881. In 1873, he married Mary Phoebe, the daughter of Robert Baldwin Sullivan. He was made a

bencher A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales or the Inns of Court in Northern Ireland, or the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Ireland. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher c ...

of the

Law Society of Upper Canada The Law Society of Ontario (LSO; ) is the law society responsible for the self-regulation of lawyers and paralegals in the Canadian province of Ontario. Founded in 1797 as the Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC; ), its name was changed by statu ...

and created a

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

in 1885. In 1887, he was appointed a judge in the Queen's Bench division of Ontario's High Court of Justice. In 1900, he was appointed Chief Justice of the King's Bench, High Court of Justice of the Province of Ontario. From 1905 to 1908 he served as Chair of the Toronto Public Library Board. In 1908, he was made a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

. Falconbridge died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

in Toronto at the age of 73. The geographic township of

Falconbridge Falconbridge may refer to: *Falconbridge Ltd., a Canadian mining company *Falconbridge, Middlesex County, Ontario *Falconbridge, Greater Sudbury, Ontario People with the surname *Lord Falconbridge, an alternative title for barons, viscounts, and e ...

was named in his honour.

References

Bibliography

External links

William Glenholme Falconbridge archival papers
held at th
University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services
{{DEFAULTSORT:Falconbridge, William 1846 births 1920 deaths Canadian Knights Bachelor Judges in Ontario Lawyers in Ontario University of Toronto alumni Canadian King's Counsel Deaths from pneumonia in Ontario Burials at St. James Cemetery, Toronto