William Henderson (Canadian politician)

William James Orton Henderson MBE[2][3] (13 October 1916 – 15 May 2006) was a Liberal party member of the House of Commons of Canada. He was born in Empress, Alberta and became a soldier, barrister, lawyer and Supreme Court of Ontario judge.

William J. Henderson
Member of Parliament
for Kingston City
In office
June 1949 – August 1953
Preceded byThomas Kidd
Succeeded byDistrict redistributed
Member of Parliament
for Kingston
In office
August 1953 – March 1958
Preceded byDistrict created
Succeeded byEdgar Benson
Personal details
Born
William James Orton Henderson

(1916-10-13)13 October 1916
Empress, Alberta, Canada
Died15 May 2006(2006-05-15) (aged 89)
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Political partyLiberal
SpouseHelen MacDougall (m. 1943–1982, her death)[1]
Professionbarrister, judge, lawyer

He studied at Queen's University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1938. In 1942, he was formally installed as a lawyer after graduating from Osgoode Hall Law School.[1] During this time, he also served in the Canadian Forces from 1939, including some service in World War II, joining the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals in 1942 before his discharge in 1946. He remained a reservist until 1952.[1] He was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his work in re-establishing a functioning judicial system in the Netherlands following World War II.[3][4][5]

Henderson was first elected at the Kingston City riding in the 1949 general election. After a redistribution of electoral districts, Henderson was re-elected for successive Parliamentary terms in at the Kingston riding in the 1953 and 1957 elections. He was defeated in the 1958 election by Benjamin Allmark of the Progressive Conservative party.

In 1965, he was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Ontario.[6] He is also considered a founder of Amherstview, a suburban community near Kingston.[1] The local recreation centre in Amherstview is dedicated in his name. He was also named to the Kingston and District Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.[7]

Henderson died at Kingston General Hospital on 15 May 2006, aged 89.[1]

References
  1. "W.J. Henderson: 1916–2006: A philanthropist, a politician, a friend to all". Kingston Whig-Standard. 16 May 2009. p. 1.
  2. "No. 37442". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 January 1946. p. 631.
  3. "The Late Justice William J. Henderson, OBE". Debates of the Senate (Hansard). Parliament of Canada. 16 May 2006. Retrieved 18 June 2009.
  4. MBE citation card Page 1
  5. MBE citation card Page 2
  6. Lukits, Ann (28 June 2005). "KGH honours Henderson for decades of generosity: Retired judge given inaugural Davies Award". Kingston Whig-Standard. p. 7.
  7. "William J. Henderson". Kingston & District Sports Hall of Fame. 2005. Retrieved 18 June 2009.


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