Sunday, March 11, 2018

Frederick Vaughan, legal and constitutional historian (1935-2018) RIP


Frederick Vaughan, longtime University of Guelph professor and prolific author, particularly on legal and constitutional questions, died recently.

I have to say I was unpersuaded by almost everything Professor Vaughan wrote on Canadian constitutional history, and at least once wrote a (for me) pretty negative review (scroll down in the link) of one of his books. Looking for the obit online today, I found a link to a review where Ged Martin reached conclusions similar enough to mine, and felt fortified in my position. 

But no doubt there are people who would disagree with all my work too. I once, not too long after my review appeared, sat down at a conference dinner and introduced myself to the person in the next seat -- and found it was Frederick Vaughan. There was a pause in which I wondered if he was about to denounce me, or worse, but someone else said something, and we enjoyed the meal without raising our differing views at all. So I'm quite prepared to endorse the obit's testimony to his good cheer and geniality.
 
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