John Graham

1867 – 1921 Born in Ottawa on July 1, 1867, the day Confederation came into effect, John William Graham lived at 74 Laurier Ave. E, next door to the fire station (which has since moved). Shortly after Ottawa created its … Read More

Sir Lyman Duff

Duff served as a member of the Supreme Court of Canada for a record 38 years, 11 of them as Chief Justice. He retired at age 79, having had his term as Chief Justice extended twice.   Duff rented a … Read More

John Joseph McGee

1845-1927 Born in Ireland, McGee was the longest-serving Clerk of the Privy Council, filling the position for almost 25 years exactly, from May 20, 1882, to May 5, 1907. His full title was Clerk of the Privy Council, Custodian of … Read More

John Mortimer Courtney

1838-1920 Courtney served as Deputy Minister of Finance for 28 years between 1878 and 1906.  In 1908, his Royal Commission on public service reform recommended the introduction of competitive exams for new hires to create a non-partisan, merit-based civil service. … Read More

Charles Eugène Panet

1829-1898  Lawyer, coroner, soldier, senator (for less than a year: he resigned to join the civil service) and Deputy- Minister of Militia and Defence (1875 to 1898), Panet was the grand-son of the first speaker of the Legislative Assembly of … Read More