Gérald Fauteux

The Right Honourable Gerald Fauteux PC CC
Fauteux, c. 1953
13th Chief Justice of Canada
In office March 23, 1970 – December 23, 1973
Nominated by	Pierre Trudeau
Appointed by	Roland Michener
Preceded by	John Robert Cartwright
Succeeded by	Bora Laskin
Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
In office December 22, 1949 – March 23, 1970
Nominated by	Louis St. Laurent
Preceded by	None (new position)
Succeeded by	Bora Laskin
Chancellor of the University of Ottawa
In office 1973–1979
Preceded by	Pauline Vanier
Succeeded by	Gabrielle Léger
Personal details
Born	(1900-10-22)October 22, 1900 Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec
Died	September 14, 1980(1980-09-14) (aged 79)
Alma mater	Université de Montréal

Joseph Honoré Gérald Fauteux PC CC (October 22, 1900 – September 14, 1980) was a Canadian jurist and lawyer who served as the 13th Chief Justice of Canada from 1970 to 1973 and as a puisne justice from 1949 to 1970.

Born in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, the son of Homère Fauteux and Héva Mercier, he studied at the Université de Montréal and graduated with an LL.L in 1925. Called to the bar that year, he settled in Montreal, where he practised with his uncle, Honoré Mercier Jr., forming the law firm of Mercier & Fauteux. From 1930 to 1936, he was Crown Prosecutor for Montreal, and in 1939 he became Chief Crown Prosecutor of the province of Quebec.

In 1946 he was a legal adviser with the Royal Commission on Spying Activities in Canada. He taught criminal law as a sessional lecturer at McGill University for 14 years and was the dean of the Faculty of Law from 1949 to 1950. In 1947 he was appointed to the Quebec Superior Court and to the Supreme Court of Canada on December 22, 1949. He was also one of the founders of the University of Ottawa's law faculty, serving as dean from 1953 to 1962. He was appointed the Chancellor of the University of Ottawa in 1973. On March 23, 1970, he was named Chief Justice of Canada, retiring on December 23, 1973, having served for 24 years on the court, four as Chief Justice. In 1974 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada. Fauteux Hall which houses the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa is named after him.

Chief Justice Fauteux died on September 14, 1980, at the age of 79 and was interred in the Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery in Montreal.

Family Relations

His grandfather, Honoré Mercier and his uncle, Lomer Gouin, were both former Premiers of Quebec. His grandmother's second husband was Liberal Member of Parliament (MP) and later Senator Joseph Godbout. His brother was the politician Gaspard Fauteux.

External links

• Supreme Court of Canada biography
• Order of Canada Citation