About R.A.E. Greenshields
Lived 1861 – 1942 (aged 81). R.A.E. Greenshields was a Canadian jurist and judge.
Robert Alfred Ernest Greenshields (February 2, 1861 – September 28, 1942) was Chief Justice of the Superior Court of the Province of Quebec; Dean of the Faculty of Law at McGill University and 9th Chancellor of Bishop's University.
Greenshields was born at Danville, Canada East, the youngest son of Scottish-born parents John Greenshields (1823–1901), farmer and mill owner of Danville, and Margaret Naismith.
Educated at Danville Academy, he graduated from in Arts from McGill University, 1883, and in civil law in 1885. Greenshields established a legal practice in Montreal with his elder brother, James Naismith Greenshields (1853–1937) who had served as a member of the legal defence team in the trial of Louis Riel. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1899. In 1910, he was appointed Judge of the Superior Court of the Province of Quebec, becoming Chief Justice in 1929. At McGill, Greenshields became Associate Professor of Criminal Law in 1915, and full Professor in 1920. From 1923 until 1927 he served as Dean of the Faculty of Law, and retired in 1929 as emeritus professor. In 1932, he succeeded Frederick Edmund Meredith as Chancellor of Bishop's University, a position he held until his death in 1942.
In 1890, he married Maude Adelaide Gooderham (1868–1952), daughter of Robert Turner Gooderham (1841–1913), of Toronto. They lived in Montreal's Golden Square Mile at 3465 Simpson Street and kept a summer property at St. Andrews, New Brunswick. They were the parents of one daughter. After Greenshields' death, his wife endowed the Chief Justice R.A.E. Greenshields Memorial Scholarship for law students at McGill University.
Don’t just read it —
keep it.
Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.
- E-book
- Audio
- Video
Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free
Important facts
People in R.A.E. Greenshields's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped R.A.E. Greenshields's
Frequently asked questions
Who was R.A.E. Greenshields?
Canadian jurist and academic, Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Quebec, Dean of Law at McGill University, and Chancellor of Bishop's University (1861–1942)
When was R.A.E. Greenshields born?
R.A.E. Greenshields was born on 2 February 1861 in Danville.
When did R.A.E. Greenshields die?
R.A.E. Greenshields died on 28 September 1942 in Montreal.
What was R.A.E. Greenshields's occupation?
R.A.E. Greenshields was a jurist and judge.
What nationality was R.A.E. Greenshields?
R.A.E. Greenshields was Canadian.
Sources & further reading
· Wikipedia: R.A.E. Greenshields
· DBpedia: R. A. E. Greenshields
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). R.A.E. Greenshields. https://biography.guide/r-a-e-greenshields/
MLA: "R.A.E. Greenshields." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/r-a-e-greenshields/.
Chicago: "R.A.E. Greenshields." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/r-a-e-greenshields/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
Page generated 2026-09-27 05:22 UTC