The Honourable James Wilfred Estey

James Wilfred Estey was born in Keswick Ridge, New Brunswick, on December 1, 1889. He was the son of Byron Leslie Estey and Sarah Ann Kee. After graduating from the University of New Brunswick with a B.A. in 1910, he studied law at Harvard University and obtained an LL.B. in 1915. When he returned to Canada, he moved to Saskatoon to teach law and economics at the University of Saskatchewan, where he was a lecturer for 10 years. In 1917 he was called to the bar and established his law practice in Saskatoon, eventually founding the firm of Estey, Moxon, Schmitt & McDonald. He served as Crown Prosecutor in Saskatoon for eight years, until 1929. In 1934 he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. During his 10 years as a member of the Assembly, he was Minister of Education for seven years and Attorney General for five years. He was appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada on October 6, 1944 and served on the Court for 11 years. Justice Estey died on January 22, 1956, at the age of 66.