Charles Fitzpatrick

Sir Charles Fitzpatrick, PC GCMG (December 19, 1851 – June 17, 1942) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as Minister of Justice of Canada, as Chief Justice of Canada and then as Lieutenant Governor of Quebec.

Charles Fitzpatrick was born on December 19, 1851, in Quebec City, Canada East, the son of John Fitzpatrick, a lumber merchant, and Mary Connolly. He was educated at Collège de Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, and later Laval University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1873 and a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1876, graduating with the Dufferin Silver Medal. Called to the Quebec bar that same year, Fitzpatrick established his practice in Quebec City, partnering with Simon-Napoleon Parent, Louis-Alexandre Taschereau and Lawrence Arthur Cannon; eventually founded the law firm of Fitzpatrick & Taschereau.

Throughout his legal career, Fitzpatrick worked as both Crown counsel and defence lawyer, representing several high-profile clients. In 1885, he served as chief counsel for Louis Riel during his trial for leading the North-West Rebellion. Riel was convicted and sentenced to death. Fitzpatrick later represented Thomas McGreevy, who was expelled from the House of Commons for corruption in 1891 and subsequently convicted of defrauding the government, serving a one-year prison term. In 1893, Fitzpatrick defended former Quebec premier Honoré Mercier, who had been dismissed by Lieutenant Governor Auguste-Réal Angers following allegations of public fund misappropriation; Mercier was ultimately acquitted later that year. Fitzpatrick also taught criminal law at Laval University.

Fitzpatrick entered provincial politics in 1890, winning election to the Quebec Legislative Assembly for Québec-Comté as a member of the Quebec Liberal Party. He declined an offer to serve as Attorney General in the Charles Boucher de Boucherville cabinet in 1891. Acclaimed in the 1892 provincial election, he resigned from the legislature in June 1896 to pursue a career in federal politics.

In recognition of his growing reputation at the bar, Fitzpatrick was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1893. He was a delegate to the National Convention of the Irish in 1896, and that same year was admitted to the Bar of the Province of Ontario. From 1897 to 1899, he served as bâtonnier of both the Bar of Quebec and the Bar of the Province of Quebec. In 1896, he also published The Schools of Manitoba: Question of the Day under a pseudonym.

In the 1896 federal election, Fitzpatrick was elected to the House of Commons for Quebec County as a Liberal, securing 65 percent of the vote. He was re-elected with strong majorities in 1900 and 1904. Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier appointed him Solicitor General of Canada in 1896, a position he held until 1902. At this time, Solicitor General was not a cabinet level role. In this capacity, Fitzpatrick supported several reforms to strengthen the Supreme Court of Canada. He was receptive to Chief Justice Samuel Henry Strong's request for additional funding to enable attendance at sittings of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, and he elevated the status of the Registrar of the Supreme Court to that of a deputy head within the federal civil service.

Laurier subsequently appointed Fitzpatrick Minister of Justice in 1902, serving until 1906. As Minister, he participated in the negotiations that led to the creation of the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan in 1905, representing the federal government in those discussions.

On June 4, 1906, Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier appointed Fitzpatrick the 5th Chief Justice of Canada after the retirement of Henri Elzéar Taschereau on May 2, 1906. Personally, Fitzpatrick sought a role on the Supreme Court as early as 1904, but Prime Minister Laurier opposed his appointment, noting his importance to his Cabinet. With his appointment to Chief Justice, Fitzpatrick became the only person appointed directly to the role since the first Chief Justice William Buell Richards, and the only person appointed to the role appointed without any prior judicial experience.