Keywords
Dalhousie Law School, legal history, Richard Chapman Weldon
Abstract
For most contemporary students at the Dalhousie Law School Richard Chapman Weldon is probably little more than a portrait, a name on a building, a legendary figure whose memory as "the heart and soul" of the school is passed on from year to year as part of alumni tradition. Those who may have read something of the career of the first Law Dean probably have wondered if such a reportedly exceptional man ever existed. Certainly, much has been recorded in the past which exaggerate his abilities, his successes and his characteristics. Throughout his life and in death he attracted words of praise and admiration. His obituaries portrayed a god-like figure unsullied by the evils and sins of normal human life. His descendants, three generations later, cherish an image of one who was larger than life, faultless and blameless. Even his opponents as well as supporters acknowledged his "pre-eminent ability", "keen thought" and "uncompromising integrity".
Recommended Citation
Della Stanley, "Richard Chapman Weldon 1849-1925 Fact, Fiction and Enigma" (1989) 12:2 Dal LJ 539.
