Professor John Edwards

This oral history interview with Professor John Llewelyn Jones Edwards, conducted for the Osgoode Society between June-October 1986, traces his journey from Wales to becoming a prominent figure in Canadian legal academia. Edwards describes his Welsh-speaking family background, with his father serving as Deputy Chief Constable, and his early education at University College of Wales in Aberystwyth, where Professor Thomas Artemus Levi influenced him to pursue law rather than theology. His wartime service and subsequent immigration to Canada led to his academic career at the University of Toronto.

The interview extensively covers Edwards’ directorship of the Centre of Criminology at the University of Toronto, which he established as an independent research institution. He describes significant battles with Ontario and federal government officials over academic freedom and funding conditions, particularly their attempts to exert editorial control over research publications. Edwards played a crucial role in organizing conferences for judges and establishing the Canadian Judicial Council. After ensuring the Centre’s financial stability and recovering from a heart attack, he returned to the Law School in 1976. Throughout the interview, Edwards reflects on his satisfaction with his academic career, noting the lasting impact of scholarly work compared to trial court practice, while expressing some regret about not pursuing a career as a barrister despite his wartime experience as counsel.

This description was written by AI and may contain some inaccuracies.