RIP David H. Flaherty

Professor Emeritus David Flaherty passed away on October 11, 2022, in Victoria. In the 1970s and 1980s David was a Professor of Law and History at what was then the University of Western Ontario. Although principally an Americanist, he was an ideal choice to organize and edit the Osgoode Society’s first major forays into serious publishing in Canadian legal history. Essays in the History of Canadian Law Volume I was published in 1981 and Essays in the History of Canadian Law Volume Two was published in 1983, both edited and introduced by David. These two volumes put the Osgoode Society ‘on the map’, and included contributions by many scholars who went on to dominate the field for decades: Constance Backhouse, Blaine Baker, Jamie Benidickson, Paul Craven, Hamar Foster, Richard Risk and Paul Romney. David also ran a legal history summer seminar at Western for a number of years, which introduced many others to the discipline. David’s contribution to the Osgoode Society and to Canadian legal history was crucial to the development of the field in the 1980s. He came to Toronto for our fortieth anniversary dinner some years ago, and was delighted with what he helped so much to start has become. Jim Phillips, Editor in Chief