The Conventional Man : The Diaries of Ontario Chief Justice Robert A. Harrison, 1856-1878

The diary of Robert Harrison is a most remarkable document. In it Harrison provides detailed and intimate accounts of life and love among Toronto's upper crust in the nineteenth century, accounts which resound with ambition, passion, jealousy, and rage as his life proceeds through courtships, marriages, deaths, and the vicissitudes of routine existence. The diary provides insights into hundreds of courtroom battles fought before judges sometimes described as ignorant and thick-headed and juries who frequently succumbed to Victorian prejudices in regard to race, gender, and religion. Although unusual in his driving ambitions and his consuming need to accumulate a fortune, Robert Harrison remained in most respects thoroughly conventional and Victorian, and his diary offers a rare glimpse into the mind of the mid-nineteenthcentury Toronto male. In Robert Harrison's private diaries, history is brought to life. The volume includes an extended biographical introduction by Peter Oliver, which provides an explanation and a critical assessment of an extraordinary man's life in Victorian Toronto. The purpose of The Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History is to encourage research and writing in the history of Canadian law. The Society, which was incorporated in 1979 and is registered as a charity, was founded at the initiative of the Honourable R. Roy McMurtry, a former attorney general for Ontario, now chief justice of Ontario, and officials of the Law Society of Upper Canada. Its efforts to stimulate the study of legal history in Canada include a research-support program, a graduate student research-assistance program, and work in the fields of oral history and legal archives. The Society publishes volumes of interest to the Society's members that contribute to legal-historical scholarship in Canada, including studies of the courts, the judiciary, and the legal profession; biographies; collections of documents; studies in criminology and penology; accounts of significant trials; and work in the social and economic historv of the law.

Between 1856 and 1878, Robert A. Harrison kept a diary. Harrison, a Toronto lawyer often described as the outstanding common law lawyer of his generation, was Chief Justice of Ontario during that time and his diary is one of the most remarkable documents bequeathed to us by the nineteenth century. In it, Harrison provides detailed and intimate accounts of life and love among Toronto's upper crust, accounts that resound with ambition, passion, jealousy and rage as his life proceeds through courtships, marriages, deaths and all the throes and challenges of routine existence among the privileged classes. Not least important are behind-the-scenes insights into scores of courtroom battles fought before judges sometimes described as ignorant and thick-headed and juries who frequently succumbed to Victorian prejudices of race, gender bias, and religion.

Although unusual in his driving ambitions and his consuming need to accumulate a fortune, Harrison remained in most respects thoroughly conventional and Victorian, and his diary offers unrivalled insights into the voice of the mid-nineteenth century Toronto male: confident, conventional, and smug. Harrison is forthright in his opinions on love, courtship, marriage, sexuality, medical practice, death, drinking habits, class, servants, technology, opera, and theatre in the city. In an extended biographical introduction, Peter Oliver provides an explanation and a critical assessment of Harrison's life and career which further illuminates one man's extraordinary record of an era.

Between 1856 and 1878, Robert A. Harrison kept a diary. Harrison, a Toronto lawyer often described as the outstanding common law lawyer of his generation, was Chief Justice of Ontario during that time and his diary is one of the most remarkable documents bequeathed to us by the nineteenth century. In it, Harrison provides detailed and intimate accounts of life and love among Toronto's upper crust, accounts that resound with ambition, passion, jealousy and rage as his life proceeds through courtships, marriages, deaths and all the throes and challenges of routine existence among the privileged classes. Not least important are behind-the-scenes insights into scores of courtroom battles fought before judges sometimes described as ignorant and thick-headed and juries who frequently succumbed to Victorian prejudices of race, gender bias, and religion. Although unusual in his driving ambitions and his consuming need to accumulate a fortune, Harrison remained in most respects thoroughly conventional and Victorian, and his diary offers unrivalled insights into the voice of the mid-nineteenth century Toronto male: confident, conventional, and smug. Harrison is forthright in his opinions on love, courtship, marriage, sexuality, medical practice, death, drinking habits, class, servants, technology, opera, and theatre in the city. In an extended biographical introduction, Peter Oliver provides an explanation and a critical assessment of Harrison's life and career which further illuminates one man's extraordinary record of an era "Although unusual in his driving ambition and his consuming need to accumulate a fortune, Harrison remained in most respects thoroughly conventional and Victorian, and his diary offers rare insights into the mind of the mid-nineteenth-century upper-class Toronto male. Opinionated and forthright, Harrison expresses strongly held views not only on law but also on such matters as love, marriage, sexuality, medical practice, drinking habits, class, servants, technology, opera, and theatre. In an extended biographical introduction, Peter Oliver provides an explanation and a critical assessment of Harrison's life and career, which further illuminate one man's extraordinary record of an era."--Résumé de l'éditeur Contents 7 Foreword 9 Acknowledgments 11 Introduction 13 DIARIES,1856–1878 131 Appendix: Biographical Sketches 639