The images in this collection are collected from several series of historical photos throughout Osgoode Digital Commons.
If you would like to view the images in their original galleries please follow the links below:
Osgoode@125 Historical Photo ExhibitOsgoode Catalysts
Remembrance Day
Graduating Class Composites
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1948 - A Mad Rush
Students scramble to find articling positions. Some firms take on extra students but have little for them to do, while others that are short on juniors or support staff use them as cheap labor. Some students and firms resort to sham articles. This article from The Globe and Mail shows the overcrowding in Convocation Hall.
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1948 - Here Comes Trouble
John Falconbridge announces his retirement. The brilliant and intimidating Cecil Wright is appointed Dean. Wright expects to make Osgoode Hall a full-time law school or complete arrangements to move the law program to the University of Toronto. He begins to expand the staff, the curriculum, and the school year. The law program is expanded to four years. The Obiter Dicta gets a face-lift that lasts well into the 1950s, although advertisements for Jersey Milk chocolate bars, suits, and dance halls remain.
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Laura Legge ’48 (1923-2010)
Laura Legge was the first woman to be elected as a bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada and went on to become its first female Treasurer. A strong advocate for the traditional rights and duties of the legal profession, Legge led several legal and community services. She was also a role model and mentor to many young female lawyers. During her lifetime, Legge received several awards, including an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the Law Society and the Alumni Award of Excellence from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1997. In 2007, the Law Society created the Laura Legge Award to honour her many contributions to the profession. It is awarded to women who exemplify leadership in the profession.
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The Honourable George E. Carter ’48 (1921- )
George Carter is the first black judge born in Canada. The first of 14 children, Carter grew up in Toronto, where he attended Orde Street Public School and Harbord Collegiate Institute, where he graduated at the top of his class. In 1944, he received his BA from Trinity College at the University of Toronto and, in the same year, enlisted in the Canadian army. After his military service, Carter enrolled at Osgoode to pursue his dream of a legal career. Graduating in 1948, Carter articled with B. J. Spencer Pitt, the only black lawyer practising in Ontario, then went to work for Sydney Harris ‘42, a Jewish Canadian. At the time, no other firm would accept black law students for training and Pitt, Harris and Carter were pioneers in opening doors for black lawyers. In 1980, Carter was appointed to the bench. As a judge, he was instrumental in establishing legal aid services and informing the Adoption of Coloured Children agency.
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1947 - Hanging from the Rafters
Enrolment at the law school swells to over 700 students, as returning veterans take advantage of the benefits offered by the Veteran’s Rehabilitation Act to receive a post-secondary education. Due to overcrowding, students are moved to the Metropolitan Church House at Bond and Shuter Street.
