Samuel Freedman
Encyclopedia
Samuel Freedman, OC
, QC
(16 April 1908–1993), was a lawyer
, judge
, and Chief Justice
of the Province of Manitoba
(Canada
).
, Russian Empire
(now Ukraine
), Freedman moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada when he was three years old. He lived with his family in Winnipeg's north end, attending Aberdeen School and St. John's Technical High School.
in 1924. He earned five scholarships during the course of his university career. His studies were focused on the subjects of Latin
and Greek
. He planned to pursue his study of the classics, had he been awarded the Rhodes Scholarship
in 1928. Instead, he pursued his second choice—law. He entered the Manitoba Law School in 1929.
At that time, legal education in Manitoba comprised two parts—classes at the law school (which was located in the downtown courthouse) and practical training with practicing lawyers. Freedman completed his practicum with the firm of Steinkopf and Lawrence, a partnership of Winnipeg lawyers Max Steinkopf and W. D. Lawrence.
During his time at university, Freedman was also involved with the Jewish club on campus, known as the Menorah Society. He also served as editor of the University of Manitoba yearbook, the Brown and Gold, in 1929–1930 (during his first year of law school).
In 1944, he was appointed King's Counsel. Shortly thereafter, he formed a new law partnership with David Golden. The firm dissolved in April 1952 when Freedman was appointed to the Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench
.
. He later served as President of the Manitoba chapter of Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University (which position he held until 1969). On his 70th birthday (in 1978), Freedman was honoured with the establishment of a chair in legal advocacy at the Faculty of Law at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
, agency
, partnership
and, later, family law
. He held this post until his appointment as Chancellor
of the University in June 1959, which required him to give up his teaching position. He remained Chancellor of the University until 1968.
In 1951, Freedman was elected President of the Manitoba Bar Association, and was the first Jewish lawyer in the province to hold the position.
As well, Freedman was Chairman of the Rhodes Scholarship
Selections Committee from 1956 to 1966.
. He took over the position of Chief Justice
of Manitoba in 1971, upon the retirement of Chief Justice Smith. He remained in that position until his retirement at age 75 on April 16, 1983.
, of the Manitoba Court of Appeal
. Interestingly, the younger Freedman's first judicial appointment was to a position once held by his father.
In 1964, Freedman was called upon to conduct an inquiry and public hearings into a railway workers' dispute regarding technological changes. The Freedman Commission issued its report in early December 1965.
Samuel Freedman was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada
by the Governor General of Canada
, Jeanne Sauvé
, on June 25, 1984. He has also received numerous honorary degrees.
The following quotation has been attributed to Freedman:
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...
, QC
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
(16 April 1908–1993), was a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
, and Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of the Province of Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
(Canada
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...
).
Early life
Born on April 16, 1908, to Nathan and Ada (Foxman) Freedman in ZhytomyrZhytomyr
Zhytomyr is a city in the North of the western half of Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Zhytomyr Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Zhytomyr Raion...
, Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
(now Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
), Freedman moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada when he was three years old. He lived with his family in Winnipeg's north end, attending Aberdeen School and St. John's Technical High School.
University education and activities
Freedman earned a scholarship which allowed him to enter the five-year Arts program at the University of ManitobaUniversity of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba , in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, is the largest university in the province of Manitoba. It is Manitoba's most comprehensive and only research-intensive post-secondary educational institution. It was founded in 1877, making it Western Canada’s first university. It placed...
in 1924. He earned five scholarships during the course of his university career. His studies were focused on the subjects of Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
. He planned to pursue his study of the classics, had he been awarded the Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
in 1928. Instead, he pursued his second choice—law. He entered the Manitoba Law School in 1929.
At that time, legal education in Manitoba comprised two parts—classes at the law school (which was located in the downtown courthouse) and practical training with practicing lawyers. Freedman completed his practicum with the firm of Steinkopf and Lawrence, a partnership of Winnipeg lawyers Max Steinkopf and W. D. Lawrence.
During his time at university, Freedman was also involved with the Jewish club on campus, known as the Menorah Society. He also served as editor of the University of Manitoba yearbook, the Brown and Gold, in 1929–1930 (during his first year of law school).
Development as a debater and public speaker
Freedman was a skilled public speaker. He enjoyed participating in debates, which no doubt honed his oratorial skills. He was an active debater at St. John's Tech, and continued to debate in university (through his involvement with the Debating Union). He participated in the Imperial Debate with Andrew Stewart, Trevor Lloyd and John Mitchell in November 1930. He also won the McGoun Coup for Manitoba in 1930, partnered with W. L. Morton. After graduation, he remained active with the Debating Union, as well as the League of Nations Society.Development as a lawyer
Freedman received his call to the bar in 1933, then joined Steinkopf & Lawrence in practice. He became a partner in the firm in 1935. In later years, he acknowledged the influence of criminal law practitioners R. A. Bonner and A. J. Andrews and civil litigators Isaac Pitblado, A. E. Hoskin, W. Parker Fillmore, R. D. Guy and E. K. Williams as being important to his development as a lawyer.In 1944, he was appointed King's Counsel. Shortly thereafter, he formed a new law partnership with David Golden. The firm dissolved in April 1952 when Freedman was appointed to the Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench
Court of Queen's Bench of Manitoba
The Court of Queen's Bench of Manitoba is the superior court of the Canadian province of Manitoba...
.
Involvement in Winnipeg's Jewish community
Freedman served as president of the Young Men's Hebrew Association, and was active with the Winnipeg committee in support of the Hebrew University, and with the B'nai B'rithB'nai B'rith
B'nai B'rith International |Covenant]]" is the oldest continually operating Jewish service organization in the world. It was initially founded as the Independent Order of B'nai B'rith in New York City, on , 1843, by Henry Jones and 11 others....
. He later served as President of the Manitoba chapter of Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University (which position he held until 1969). On his 70th birthday (in 1978), Freedman was honoured with the establishment of a chair in legal advocacy at the Faculty of Law at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
Involvement with the University of Manitoba
In 1941, Freedman became a part-time lecturer with the Manitoba Law School, teaching civil procedureCivil procedure
Civil procedure is the body of law that sets out the rules and standards that courts follow when adjudicating civil lawsuits...
, agency
Agency (law)
The law of agency is an area of commercial law dealing with a contractual or quasi-contractual, or non-contractual set of relationships when a person, called the agent, is authorized to act on behalf of another to create a legal relationship with a third party...
, partnership
Partnership
A partnership is an arrangement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests.Since humans are social beings, partnerships between individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments, and varied combinations thereof, have always been and remain commonplace...
and, later, family law
Family law
Family law is an area of the law that deals with family-related issues and domestic relations including:*the nature of marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships;...
. He held this post until his appointment as Chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
of the University in June 1959, which required him to give up his teaching position. He remained Chancellor of the University until 1968.
Participation in the Manitoba bar
Also in 1941, Freedman was elected to the executive of the Manitoba Bar Association, representing the Eastern Judicial District. In 1942, he became the editor of the Manitoba Bar News, which position he held for 4 years.In 1951, Freedman was elected President of the Manitoba Bar Association, and was the first Jewish lawyer in the province to hold the position.
As well, Freedman was Chairman of the Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
Selections Committee from 1956 to 1966.
Career as a judge
In March 1960, Freedman was elevated to the Manitoba Court of AppealManitoba Court of Appeal
The Manitoba Court of Appeal is the highest Court of Appeal in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was established in 1906. It is located in the Old Law Courts building at 408 York Avenue in Winnipeg, the capital city of Manitoba...
. He took over the position of Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of Manitoba in 1971, upon the retirement of Chief Justice Smith. He remained in that position until his retirement at age 75 on April 16, 1983.
Miscellaneous
In 1934, Freedman married Brownie Udow. He is the father of current Justice Martin FreedmanMartin Freedman
Martin H. Freedman, Q.C., was appointed a judge of the Manitoba Court of Appeal on July 16, 2002. He replaced Madam Justice Bonnie M. Helper, who resigned....
, of the Manitoba Court of Appeal
Manitoba Court of Appeal
The Manitoba Court of Appeal is the highest Court of Appeal in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was established in 1906. It is located in the Old Law Courts building at 408 York Avenue in Winnipeg, the capital city of Manitoba...
. Interestingly, the younger Freedman's first judicial appointment was to a position once held by his father.
In 1964, Freedman was called upon to conduct an inquiry and public hearings into a railway workers' dispute regarding technological changes. The Freedman Commission issued its report in early December 1965.
Samuel Freedman was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada
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...
by the Governor General of Canada
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
, Jeanne Sauvé
Jeanne Sauvé
Jeanne Mathilde Sauvé was a Canadian journalist, politician, and stateswoman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 23rd since Canadian Confederation....
, on June 25, 1984. He has also received numerous honorary degrees.
The following quotation has been attributed to Freedman:
“They say that during the first five years every judge delivers his judgment with a lurking suspicion in his mind that he is wrong. During the next five years he delivers every judgment absolutely convinced that he is right. Thereafter he delivers his judgments with a growing indifference as to whether he is right or wrong. And they say that when the indifference becomes habitual, he should retire.”