Gerald O'Connor

Charles Gerald O'Connor KC (December 3, 1890 – November 16, 1949) was a provincial politician and judge from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1935 to 1940, sitting with the Liberal caucus in government. He also served on the Edmonton City Council in 1932 and 1933 and a federal court judge.[1]

C. Gerald O'Connor

KC
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta
In office
1935–1940
ConstituencyEdmonton
Personal details
Born(1890-12-03)December 3, 1890
Walkerton, Ontario
DiedNovember 16, 1949(1949-11-16) (aged 58)
Ottawa, Ontario
Political partyLiberal
RelativesGeorge Bligh O'Connor (1883-1956) (Brother)
George Hamilton (Great-grandfather)
Alma materOsgoode Hall Law School
Occupationlawyer, judge

Early life

Charles Gerald O'Connor was born December 3, 1890 at Walkerton, Ontario to Frederick Shepherd O'Connor, a lawyer in Walkerton and later Sheriff of Bruce County, and Maria Isabella O'Connor (née Hamilton), the granddaughter of George Hamilton, the founder of Hamilton, Ontario.[2][3] He was educated in Edmonton and attended Osgoode Hall Law School at York University.[3] He married Victoria Smith on September 5, 1920 and together had two children. He joined his older brother George Bligh O'Connor and his partner William Antrobus Griesbach to form the legal firm Griesback, O'Connor & O'Connor.[3][2]

Member of Legislative Assembly

O'Connor was elected to the 8th Alberta Legislature in the 1935 Alberta general election for the Edmonton electoral district. O'Connor was one of six members returned from the district through the single transferable vote, and although he finished the first round of balloting with 1,116 votes, good enough for 12th of 27 candidates, the subsequent counts through vote transfers saw O'Connor elected. He joined William R. Howson and George Van Allen as the elected Liberal members.[4]

O'Connor ran for re-election in 1940 as a member of the Independent Movement, a collation of opposition parties against the Social Credit movement. O'Conner was not reelected, receiving 3,392 votes, while fellow Independent Movement candidates John Percy Page, Hugh John Macdonald, and David Milwyn Duggan were elected. Future Premier Ernest Manning and Socred Norman B. James were also elected in Edmonton.[5]

Judicial career

O'Connor was appointed a Justice of the Exchequer Court of Canada at Ottawa, appointed Puisne Judge on April 19, 1945, until his death on November 16, 1949.[6]

Family

Gerald's older brother George Bligh O'Connor (1883-1956) was appointed to the Supreme Court of Alberta, and later served as Chief Justice.[7]

References
  1. Mardon, Austin (2011). Mapping Alberta's Political Leadership: A Comprehensive Account of Edmonton's MLAs from 1905-2003. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1897472309. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  2. Ford, C. J. (1956). "The Honourable George Blight O'Connor". The Alberta Law Review. 1 (3): 141–144. doi:10.29173/alr2134. ISSN 0002-4821. OCLC 01479040.
  3. Normandin, A. L., ed. (1936). "The Canadian Parliamentary Guide". The Canadian Parliamentary Guide = Guide Parlementaire Canadien. Ottawa: Mortimer Company Ltd.: 390. ISSN 0315-6168. OCLC 893686591. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  4. "Edmonton Official Results 1935 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  5. "Edmonton Official Results 1940 Alberta general election". Alberta Heritage Community Foundation. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  6. Spankie, Ralph M.; Belleau, Gabriel, eds. (1949). Canada Law Reports (PDF). Ottawa: Exchequer Court of Canada. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  7. Knafla, Louis A. (1997). Lords of the western bench: a biographical history of the supreme and district courts of Alberta, 1876-1990. The Legal Archives Society of Alberta. pp. 139. ISBN 0-9681939-0-0. OL 17525532M. Retrieved September 11, 2020.


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