John Peters Humphrey
Encyclopedia
John Peters Humphrey, OC
(April 30, 1905 – March 14, 1995) was a Canadian legal scholar
, jurist
, and human rights
advocate. He is most famous as the author of the first draft of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
, New Brunswick
. His childhood was touched by tragedy as he lost both his parents to cancer; he also lost one of his arms in an accident while playing with fire. Humphrey attended a boarding school where he endured teasing from other students; it is claimed that this was instrumental in building his character and compassion.
Humphrey applied to Mount Allison University
at age 15 and was accepted. He transferred to McGill University
and lived with his sister Ruth who was a teacher in Montreal
. Humphrey graduated from McGill in 1925 where he was awarded a Bachelor of Commerce
degree. He promptly enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts
and Bachelor of Law at McGill, graduating in 1927 and 1929 respectively. Upon graduation, Humphrey was awarded a fellowship to study in Paris
, sailing from Montreal on the RMS Aurania. He met fellow passenger Jeanne Godreau while onboard and they were married in Paris shortly after arriving.
Humphrey returned to Montreal after the fellowship to a teaching position as a professor at McGill; he also enrolled in a Master of Law specializing in international law
. During the 1930s Humphrey was considered a renaissance man
with his interests in education, the arts and humanities, and human rights. While teaching at McGill in the early 1940s, Humphrey met Henri Laugier, a refugee from France
who was working on behalf of the Free French. In 1943 Laugier moved to Algeria
to teach at the University of Algiers
and later became the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations
.
.
Humphrey was a principal drafter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
. After consulting with the executive group of the Commission, chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt
, Professor Humphrey prepared the first preliminary draft of what was to become the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
. On the night of December 10, 1948, the General Assembly unanimously adopted the Declaration, dubbed by Mrs. Roosevelt as "the international Magna Carta
of all mankind".
s of dozens of countries. He worked in areas including freedom of the press
, status of women, and racial discrimination. In 1988, on the 40th anniversary of the Declaration, the UN Human Rights award
was bestowed on Professor Humphrey.
In 1963, he put forth the idea of a United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. While the idea was initially received quite positively, it was only after more than thirty years, under Secretary-General Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali
, that the office became a reality.
He served as a director of the International League for Human Rights
; served as a member of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women
; a member of the team that launched Amnesty International
's chapter in Canada; and, with colleagues from McGill University, was instrumental in creating the Canadian Human Rights Foundation. He took part in a number of international commissions of inquiry, including a mission to the Philippines
investigating human rights violations under Ferdinand Marcos
. In Japan
he represented Korea
n women forced to act as sex slaves
. He also campaigned for reparations for Canadian prisoners of war under Japanese captivity.
John Peters Humphrey died on March 14, 1995 at the age of 90 in Montreal.
in 1974, "in recognition of his contributions to legal scholarship and his world-wide reputation in the field of human rights".
The John Peters Humphrey Model United Nations
is held in his honour every May in Fredericton, New Brunswick
.
Since 1988, the McGill University Faculty of Law
has held the John P. Humphrey Lectureship in Human Rights, an annual lecture on the role of international law and organizations in the worldwide protection of human rights. http://www.mcgill.ca/humanrights/lectures/#HUMPHREY
The John Humphrey Freedom Award
, presented by the Canadian human rights group Rights & Democracy, is awarded each year to organizations and individuals around the world for exceptional achievement in the promotion of human rights and democratic development. http://www.dd-rd.ca/site/humphrey_award/index.php?subsection=&lang=en
In June 2008, a memorial to Dr. Humphrey was unveiled in his hometown of Hampton, New Brunswick
. The memorial, located just a few hundred yards from his childhood home, consists of a UN-style wooden bench with a young and old Humphrey seated. Several brass doves sit on the end of the bench, which sits beside two tall stone plinths, one of which has several articles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights carved into it in English, French and Maliseet. The memorial sits on the front lawn of the County Court House in the center of the town.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(April 30, 1905 – March 14, 1995) was a Canadian legal scholar
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
, jurist
Jurist
A jurist or jurisconsult is a professional who studies, develops, applies, or otherwise deals with the law. The term is widely used in American English, but in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries it has only historical and specialist usage...
, and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
advocate. He is most famous as the author of the first draft of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
Childhood, education and academic career
Humphrey was born to Frank Humphrey and Nellie Peters on April 30, 1905 in HamptonHampton, New Brunswick
Hampton is a Canadian town in Kings County, New Brunswick.Located on the Kennebecasis River 30 kilometres northeast of Saint John, Hampton is the shire town of Kings County...
, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
. His childhood was touched by tragedy as he lost both his parents to cancer; he also lost one of his arms in an accident while playing with fire. Humphrey attended a boarding school where he endured teasing from other students; it is claimed that this was instrumental in building his character and compassion.
Humphrey applied to Mount Allison University
Mount Allison University
Mount Allison University is a primarily undergraduate Canadian liberal arts and science university situated in Sackville, New Brunswick. It is located about a half hour from the regional city of Moncton and 20 minutes from the Greater Moncton International Airport...
at age 15 and was accepted. He transferred to McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
and lived with his sister Ruth who was a teacher in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. Humphrey graduated from McGill in 1925 where he was awarded a Bachelor of Commerce
Bachelor of Commerce
A Bachelor of Commerce is an undergraduate degree in commerce and related subjects. The degree is also known as the Bachelor of Commerce and Administration, or BCA...
degree. He promptly enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and Bachelor of Law at McGill, graduating in 1927 and 1929 respectively. Upon graduation, Humphrey was awarded a fellowship to study in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, sailing from Montreal on the RMS Aurania. He met fellow passenger Jeanne Godreau while onboard and they were married in Paris shortly after arriving.
Humphrey returned to Montreal after the fellowship to a teaching position as a professor at McGill; he also enrolled in a Master of Law specializing in international law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
. During the 1930s Humphrey was considered a renaissance man
Renaissance Man
Renaissance Man is a 1994 comedy film, directed by Penny Marshall, starring Danny DeVito, Gregory Hines, James Remar, and Ed Begley, Jr. It also features Mark Wahlberg in one of his earliest roles....
with his interests in education, the arts and humanities, and human rights. While teaching at McGill in the early 1940s, Humphrey met Henri Laugier, a refugee from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
who was working on behalf of the Free French. In 1943 Laugier moved to Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
to teach at the University of Algiers
University of Algiers
The University of Algiers Benyoucef Benkhedda is a university located in Algiers, Algeria. It was founded in 1909 and is organized into seven faculties.-History:...
and later became the Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
In 1946, Assistant Secretary-General to the United Nations, Henri Laugier, appointed John Peters Humphrey as the first Director of the United Nations Division of Human Rights, within the United Nations SecretariatUnited Nations Secretariat
The United Nations Secretariat is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and it is headed by the United Nations Secretary-General, assisted by a staff of international civil servants worldwide. It provides studies, information, and facilities needed by United Nations bodies for...
.
Humphrey was a principal drafter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...
. After consulting with the executive group of the Commission, chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
, Professor Humphrey prepared the first preliminary draft of what was to become the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...
. On the night of December 10, 1948, the General Assembly unanimously adopted the Declaration, dubbed by Mrs. Roosevelt as "the international Magna Carta
Magna Carta
Magna Carta is an English charter, originally issued in the year 1215 and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions, which included the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority to date. The charter first passed into law in 1225...
of all mankind".
Career in the United Nations
Humphrey remained with the UN for 20 years. During this period he oversaw the implementation of 67 international conventions and the constitutionConstitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
s of dozens of countries. He worked in areas including freedom of the press
Freedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
, status of women, and racial discrimination. In 1988, on the 40th anniversary of the Declaration, the UN Human Rights award
United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights
The United Nations Prizes in the Field of Human Rights were instituted by United Nations General Assembly in 1966.They are intended to "honour and commend people and organizations which have made an outstanding contribution to the promotion and protection of the human rights embodied in the...
was bestowed on Professor Humphrey.
In 1963, he put forth the idea of a United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. While the idea was initially received quite positively, it was only after more than thirty years, under Secretary-General Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Boutros Boutros-Ghali is an Egyptian politician and diplomat who was the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1992 to December 1996...
, that the office became a reality.
Later life
Humphrey retired from the UN in 1966 to resume his teaching career at McGill University. He remained active in the promotion of human rights in Canada and internationally for the rest of his life.He served as a director of the International League for Human Rights
International League for Human Rights
The International League for Human Rights is a human rights organization with headquarters in New York City.Claiming to be the oldest human rights organization in the United States, the ILHR defines its mission as "defending human rights advocates who risk their lives to promote the ideals of a...
; served as a member of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women
Royal Commission on the Status of Women
The Royal Commission on the Status of Women was a Canadian Royal Commission that examined the status of women and recommended steps that might be taken by the federal government to ensure equal opportunities with men and women in all aspects of Canadian society. The Commission commenced on 16...
; a member of the team that launched Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
's chapter in Canada; and, with colleagues from McGill University, was instrumental in creating the Canadian Human Rights Foundation. He took part in a number of international commissions of inquiry, including a mission to the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
investigating human rights violations under Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
. In Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
he represented Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n women forced to act as sex slaves
Sexual slavery
Sexual slavery is when unwilling people are coerced into slavery for sexual exploitation. The incidence of sexual slavery by country has been studied and tabulated by UNESCO, with the cooperation of various international agencies...
. He also campaigned for reparations for Canadian prisoners of war under Japanese captivity.
John Peters Humphrey died on March 14, 1995 at the age of 90 in Montreal.
Honours and Recognition
Among his many honors, Professor Humphrey was made an Officer of the Order of CanadaOrder of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
in 1974, "in recognition of his contributions to legal scholarship and his world-wide reputation in the field of human rights".
The John Peters Humphrey Model United Nations
Model United Nations
Model United Nations is an academic simulation of the United Nations that aims to educate participants about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy and the United Nations agenda....
is held in his honour every May in Fredericton, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
.
Since 1988, the McGill University Faculty of Law
McGill University Faculty of Law
The Faculty of Law is a constituent faculty of McGill University, in Montreal, Quebec. Its graduates obtain both a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Civil Law , concurrently, in three to four years, allowing them to practice in both the Canadian, U.S...
has held the John P. Humphrey Lectureship in Human Rights, an annual lecture on the role of international law and organizations in the worldwide protection of human rights. http://www.mcgill.ca/humanrights/lectures/#HUMPHREY
The John Humphrey Freedom Award
John Humphrey Freedom Award
The John Humphrey Freedom Award is presented annually by the Canadian human rights group Rights & Democracy to an organization or individual from any country or region of the world for exceptional achievement in the promotion of human rights and democratic development...
, presented by the Canadian human rights group Rights & Democracy, is awarded each year to organizations and individuals around the world for exceptional achievement in the promotion of human rights and democratic development. http://www.dd-rd.ca/site/humphrey_award/index.php?subsection=&lang=en
In June 2008, a memorial to Dr. Humphrey was unveiled in his hometown of Hampton, New Brunswick
Hampton, New Brunswick
Hampton is a Canadian town in Kings County, New Brunswick.Located on the Kennebecasis River 30 kilometres northeast of Saint John, Hampton is the shire town of Kings County...
. The memorial, located just a few hundred yards from his childhood home, consists of a UN-style wooden bench with a young and old Humphrey seated. Several brass doves sit on the end of the bench, which sits beside two tall stone plinths, one of which has several articles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights carved into it in English, French and Maliseet. The memorial sits on the front lawn of the County Court House in the center of the town.