Duff, Sir Lyman Poore (1865-1955), served on the Supreme Court of Canada from 1906 to 1944. During the last 11 years, he was chief justice. Canada became independent from the United Kingdom in 1931, and many of Duff’s rulings strengthened the nation’s central government. He upheld many federal laws challenged by provincial governments in Canada.
During World War II, Duff investigated charges that the government had sent poorly equipped and untrained troops to help defend Hong Kong. Over 200 Canadians died and more than 2,000 were captured when Japan took Hong Kong in 1941. Duff’s report supported the government’s conduct but drew criticism in Canada.
Duff was born in Meaford, Ontario, on Jan. 7, 1865. He received his law degree from the University of Toronto in 1889. King George V knighted him in 1934. Duff died on April 26, 1955.
