Norman William Whittaker (November 18, 1893 – 1983) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

. He represented Saanich

Saanich (electoral district)

Saanich was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It made its first appearance in the election of 1903 and its last in the general election of 1963 after which it was combined with parts of the former Nanaimo and the Islands riding to form Saanich and the...

 in 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 ....

 from 1933 to 1947 as a Liberal

British Columbia Liberal Party

The British Columbia Liberal Party is the governing political party in British Columbia, Canada. First elected for government in 1916, the party went into decline after 1952, with its rump caucus merging with the Social Credit Party for the 1975 election...

 member.

He was born in Kamloops and was educated in Victoria

Victoria, British Columbia

Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...

. Whittaker studied law, articled in Victoria and set up practice there. In 1929, he married Gwendolyn C A Gillis. He was speaker

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is the presiding officer of the British Columbia legislature.-The office of Speaker in British Columbia:...

 of the assembly from 1937 to 1947. Whittaker also served briefly as 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...

 in 1941; he resigned his cabinet post to lobby for a Liberal-Conservative coalition government. In 1947, Whittaker resigned his seat in the legislature after being named to the BC Supreme Court

Supreme Court of British Columbia

The Supreme Court of British Columbia is the superior trial court for the province of British Columbia. The BCSC hears civil and criminal law cases as well as appeals from the Provincial Court of British Columbia. Including supernumerary judges, there are presently 108 judges...

. He was named to the Court of Appeal

British Columbia Court of Appeal

The British Columbia Court of Appeal is the highest appellate court in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The BCCA hears appeals from the Supreme Court of British Columbia and a number of boards and tribunals. The BCCA also hears criminal appeals from the Provincial Court of British...

 in 1963. Whittaker retired the following year due to problems with his wife's health. He died in 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,...

at the age of 90.