Humphrey, John Peters

  • From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: See full biography at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Peters_Humphrey
    • John Peters Humphrey OC OQ (April 30, 1905 – March 14, 1995) was a Canadian legal scholar, jurist, and human rights advocate. He is most famous as the principal author of the first draft of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a foundational document in international human rights law adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948.
    • Humphrey’s contributions were recognized with honors including the Order of Canada (1974), the National Order of Quebec (1985), and the UN Human Rights Prize (1988
    • Among his many honours, Professor Humphrey was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1974, “in recognition of his contributions to legal scholarship and his world-wide reputation in the field of human rights”.
    • In 1985, he was made an Officer of the Ordre nationale du Québec.
    • The John Peters Humphrey Model United Nations is held in his honour every May in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
    • Since 1988, the McGill University Faculty of Law has held the John P. Humphrey Lectureship in Human Rights, an annual lecture on the role of international law and organizations in the worldwide protection of human rights.
    • In September 1998, Nelson Mandela unveiled a commemorative plaque to Humphrey at the Human Rights Monument, Ottawa, as part of Canada’s tribute on the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration.
    • A postage stamp to Humphrey was issued in 1998 by Canada Post, marking the 50th anniversary of the Declaration. It was issued in Montreal, where he graduated in law, practiced, and taught. 
    • The John Humphrey Freedom Award, presented by the Canadian human rights group Rights & Democracy, is awarded each year to organizations and individuals around the world for exceptional achievement in the promotion of human rights and democratic development.
    • In June 2008, a memorial to Dr. Humphrey was unveiled in his hometown of Hampton, New Brunswick. The memorial, entitled the CREDO monument was sculpted by Hooper Studios and was commissioned by the Hampton John Peters Humphrey Foundation. It is located just a few hundred yards from his childhood home, consists of a UN-style wooden bench with a young and old Humphrey seated. Several brass doves sit on the end of the bench, which sits beside two tall stone plinths, one of which has several articles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights carved into it in English, French and Maliseet. The memorial sits on the front lawn of the Hampton Town Hall, which is housed in the former county court house in the centre of town. 
    • The wooden sculpture has been repaired since its unveiling, but ongoing deterioration prompted an effort to preserve it in bronze. With the permission of the original artists, the wooden memorial statue was bronzed and the wooden bench was replaced with stone. This project was completed on April 30, 2023.
  • Third Great Grandson of United Empire Loyalist listed in Loyalist Directory: https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/detail/?wpda_search_column_id=2908
  • Find A Grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/108923562/john-thomas_peters-humphrey