HON. JOHN H. LAMONT.
The Hon. John H. Lamont, Justice Qf the Court of Appeals for Sas-
atchewan, came to this province as a young barrister not long after
had completed his preparation for a professional career. Locating in
Prince Albert, he established a good law practice and soon entered the
political arena as member of the House of Commons. Ever since the
province of Saskatchewan was formed in 1905 he had been a conspicuous
figure in public life and his appointment to the bench of the Supreme
Court of the province about five years ago came as a fitting tribute to
the excellent work he had done previously as Attorney General.
John H. Lamont was born in Dufferin county, Ontario, November 12,
1865, the son of Duncan and Margaret Robson (Henderson) Lamont, the
second child in a family of five. His father was a native of Scotland,
his birth having occurred in the Island of Mull, and he came to Canada
in early life, here marrying ~ young lady of Canadian birth and settling
on a farm in Ontario, which he cultivated all of his active life. He was
in elder in the Presbyterian church, which the family attended for a
great many years, and held a number of local offices, always voting with
the Liberal party. A man of good education and broad interests, he read
widely throughout his life and followed the progress of events in literary
as well as political circles.
His son John was sent to the public schools as a boy and later to the
high schools of Brampton and Orangeville, where he prepared for en-
trance to Toronto University. The young man graduated from the latter
institution in 1892, with the Bachelor of Arts degree and the following
year was awarded the Bachelor of Laws degree. After three years spent
at Osgoode Hall in Toronto, he entered upon the practice of his profession
in that city, where he remained for four years. In 1899 he came west to
the new country, where he hoped to find more opportunities for rapid
advancement than existed in the more conservative east; nor was he dis-
appointed. Opening an office in Prince Albert, he soon found himself
possessed of an excellent practice, with all the prospects of a successful
political career. As the Liberal candidate he successfully contested his
district for a seat in the House of Commons in 1904. He was the first
man to hold the office of Attorney General of the province of Saskatche-
wan after the provincial government was formed in 1905 and discharged
the duties of his office with a skill and thoroughness that set an excellent
precedent for his successors in office. The announcement of his appoint-
ment to the Supreme court of Saskatchewan in 1918 was received with
satisfaction both in Regina and throughout the province, for Mr. Justice
Lamont is widely known and highly respected everywhere in Saskatche-
wan. With a profound legal learning and wide experience in public life
he combines a judicial temperament which preeminently qualifies him
for his responsible position. His decisions, as they appear in the court
records, show that he has studied carefully every aspect of the case in-
volved and has arrived at his decision only after careful consideration of
each point of law and justice.
Since his appointment to the bench Mr. Justice Lamont has, of course,
withdrawn from political life. Up to that time he was an ardent cham-
pion of the Liberal party and one of its strong leaders in this region. He
is a member of the Knox Presbyterian church of Regina and is identified
with the Kiwanis Club. Most of his time, however, is devoted to his
judicial work, which places great demands upon his strength and energies.
In 1899 John H. Lamont was married to Miss Margaret Murray
Johnston of Toronto. They have one daughter: Katherine, who com-
pleted her preparatory education in 1922 and the following fall entered
the University of Toronto.
Bibliography follows:
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