Robinson, Christopher Jr.

  • DICTIONARY OF CANADIAN BIOGRAPHY ARTICLE: Patrick Brode, “ROBINSON, CHRISTOPHER (1828-1905),” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 13, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–. https://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/robinson_christopher_1828_1905_13E.html
  • DCB profile notes:
    • Lawyer and editor; b. 21 Jan. 1828 in York (Toronto), third son of John Beverley Robinson and Emma Walker; m. 2 July 1879 Elizabeth Street Plumb, daughter of Josiah Burr Plumb, and they had three sons and a daughter; d. 31 Oct. 1905 in Toronto.
    • Born into Toronto’s élite, Christopher Robinson was educated at Upper Canada College, took a ba at King’s College and an ma at Trinity College, and was called to the bar in 1850. His practice over the next decade consisted mostly of commercial matters. After a dispute over fees cost him the business of the Canada Agency Association in 1861, he frequently appeared in court, usually in the assizes of the Western circuit. He gained a reputation there as a capable advocate; his speaking style was undemonstrative and he preferred reason to bluster.
    • Robinson was the case reporter for the Court of Queen’s Bench from 1856 to 1872, when he became editor of the Reports of the Court of Common Pleas, a position he held until 1885. By constantly reviewing cases, he developed a detailed understanding of the law. Beginning in 1875, Robinson and Frank John Joseph produced a four-volume digest of common-law and equity cases. This was the first Canadian text, the Canada Law Journal observed, to deal in part with the emerging body of constitutional law. The study of the British North America Act and its distribution of powers had, since 1867, created a new area of concern for the legal profession. New versions of the digest appeared in 1880 and 1884, and made “Robinson and Joseph” a standard reference. Through a series of highly publicized cases, in which he often acted in favour of the federal government, Robinson refined his reputation. 
    • By the late 1870s Robinson’s eminence was such that he frequently took part in cases before the newly formed Supreme Court of Canada. Besides, by the 1890s, Robinson was achieving renown as Canada’s first lawyer to become a leading advocate before international bodies. After his death in 1905, Robinson’s life was summed up by an American law journal as one of “strenuous fights, interprovincial and international; against criminals fighting for their lives; provinces struggling to expand; huge corporations eager for gain.”
  • Grandson of Proven Loyalist in Loyalist Directory –https://uelac.ca/loyalist-directory/detail/?wpda_search_column_id=7058
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