John Wallace de Beque Farris (December 3, 1878 – February 25, 1970) was a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 lawyer and politician.

Born in White's Cove, New Brunswick

Queens County, New Brunswick

Queens County is located in central New Brunswick, Canada.-Geography:The county's geography is dominated by the Saint John River and Grand Lake. Coal mining is a major industry in the Minto area. Forestry and mixed farming dominate the rest of the county...

, the son of Laughlin P. Farris

Laughlin Farris

Laughlin P. Farris was a farmer and political figure in New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Queen's County in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick from 1892 to 1908 as a Liberal member...

 and Louise Hay, he was educated at St. Martin's Seminary, received his Bachelor of Arts from Acadia University

Acadia University

Acadia University is a predominantly undergraduate university located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada with some graduate programs at the master's level and one at the doctoral level...

 and received his Bachelor of Law from the University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...

. He was called to the British Columbia Bar in 1903. He founded the law firm now called Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP and was the first prosecutor of Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

.

In 1907

British Columbia general election, 1907

The British Columbia general election of 1907 was the eleventh general election for the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election called on December 24, 1906, and held on February 2, 1907...

, he ran unsuccessfully for the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....

 for the riding of Vancouver

Vancouver City (electoral district)

Vancouver City was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It was a multiple member riding based in the newly-created city of Vancouver....

. He lost again in 1909

British Columbia general election, 1909

The British Columbia general election of 1909 was the twelfth general election for the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on October 20, 1909, and held on November 25, 1909'...

 for the riding of Richmond

Richmond (British Columbia provincial electoral district)

Richmond was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It made its first appearance on the hustings in the election of 1903...

.

He was elected in 1916

British Columbia general election, 1916

The British Columbia general election of 1916 was the fourteenth general election for the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on July 5, 1916, and held on September 14, 1916...

 as a Liberal MLA for the riding of Vancouver and was re-elected in 1920

British Columbia general election, 1920

The British Columbia general election of 1920 was the fifteenth general election for the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on October 23, 1920, and held on December 1, 1920...

. From 1917 to 1922, he was the Attorney General

Attorney General of British Columbia

The Ministry of the Attorney General of British Columbia is a provincial government department responsible for the oversight of the justice system within the province of British Columbia, Canada...

 and Minister of Labour.

In 1937, he was appointed to the Senate of Canada representing the senatorial division of Vancouver South, British Columbia. He served until his death in 1970. Late in life, he was known within the Liberal Party as a staunch supporter of Pierre-Elliott Trudeau's leadership and an opponent of Senate reform.

External links