Lawyer, judge.
Born at Winnipeg in 1939, son of Agnes Mary Clarkson (1912-1976) and Francis P. Kennedy, he grew up in Norwood and attended Holy Cross School and St. Paul’s High School, graduating in 1957. He then attended St. Paul’s College and received a law degree from the University of Manitoba. Called to the Manitoba Bar in 1965, he practiced law, eventually becoming a partner in the firm of Christie DeGraves, Mckay, and Settle. In April 1971, he ran as a Liberal for a seat in the Manitoba Legislature in a by-election for the St. Vital constituency. Narrowly defeated by NDP candidate Jim Walding, he ran again in the 1973 general election and was again defeated by Walding in a close race. It was alleged that he was offered a judgeship, making him at age 38 one of the province’s youngest judges, to prevent him from seeking the seat another time. In August 1978, he was appointed to the Provincial Court and, in June 1984, to the Court of Queen’s Bench. Active in the community, he chaired the St. Vital School Board, he served on the advisory board to St. Paul’s High School, chaired the parish board at Christ the King Church, and was President of the Canadian Judicial Association. In 2002, he received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in recognition of his community service. He stepped down from the bench in August 2009. He died at Winnipeg on 28 January 2017 and was buried in the St. Vital Cemetery.
“Throws hat in ring,” Winnipeg Free Press, 4 March 1971, page 29.
“Signs are there but result uncertain,” Winnipeg Free Press, 27 March 1971, page 11.
Just One Vote: From Jim Walding’s Nomination to Constitutional Defeat by Ian Stewart, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 2009, page 35.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 1 February 2017.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 24 April 2021
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