Thibaudeau Rinfret

Template:Short description Template:Infobox officeholder Thibaudeau Rinfret Template:Post-nominals (June 22, 1879 – July 25, 1962) was a Canadian jurist who served as the ninth Chief Justice of Canada from 1944 to 1954 and briefly as Administrator of Canada from January to February 1952. He also served as a puisne justice of the Supreme Court of Canada from 1924 to 1944.

Early life

Rinfret was born in Montreal in 1879, the son of François-Olivier Rinfret and Albina Pominville.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref> He was the brother of Fernand Rinfret, Liberal politician who became Mayor of Montreal, and brother of Charles Rinfret, a prominent Montreal businessman.<ref>Template:Cite DCB</ref>

Professional career

Rinfret studied law at the Université Laval à Montréal, Faculté de droit and McGill University and was called to the Bar of Quebec in 1901. He was appointed to the Quebec Superior Court in 1922 and to the Supreme Court of Canada in 1924.<ref name=":0" />

Rinfret became Chief Justice on January 8, 1944, and served until his retirement on June 22, 1954.<ref name=":0" /> During his term as Chief Justice, Canada ended appeals to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council making the Supreme Court of Canada the final court of appeal in Canadian jurisprudence.<ref>Supreme Court Amendment Act, S.C. 1949 (2nd. session), c. 37, s. 3.</ref>

Rinfret was Administrator of the Government in 1952 after the departure of Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis, and until Vincent Massey could officially be sworn in as Governor General of Canada. During this time he proclaimed Elizabeth II as Queen of Canada, following the death of King George VI.

Personal life

Rinfret's son was the Quebec politician and judge Édouard Rinfret.Template:Citation needed

External links

• Supreme Court of Canada Biography
• Template:Find a Grave