Obituary of Hon. Stuart G. Stratton

The Honourable Stuart G. Stratton, Q.C. of Saint John, retired Chief Justice of New Brunswick, husband of H. Ruth (Ellis) Stratton, passed away on Saturday, November 12, 2011 at the Saint John Regional Hospital, following a brief illness. Born in Moncton, NB on August 20, 1925, he was the younger of two sons of the late Llewellyn Philip and Nan (Gibson) Stratton; his brother, Kenneth P. Stratton predeceased him in 1998. In addition to his wife of 61 years, whom he married on August 5, 1950, Mr. Stratton is survived by four children: Linda Forestell (Frank) of Saint John, and their children Stuart Forestell and Peter Forestell, both of Ottawa, ON; Kathryn Stratton of Moncton; Anne Stratton of Fredericton and her children Elias Armenakis and Eleni Armenakis, both of Ottawa, ON; and Christopher Stratton (Susan) of Lower Coverdale and their children Alexandra Stratton of Fredericton, Riley Stratton of Lower Cambridge, and Kristofer McDavid (Ashley) of Miramichi. Mr. Stratton is also survived by his sister-in-law, Margaret Stratton of Riverview and several nieces, nephews, and cousins. Mr. Stratton was a graduate of the class of 1942 of Moncton High School. After serving his country in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II, he attended Mount Allison University, and subsequently Dalhousie University, where he graduated in 1953 with a Bachelor of Laws degree. During his final year, he received the McEvoy Scholarship, awarded for academic standing. While in Law School, the Chief Justice worked as a student librarian in the law library, and in his final year was head librarian. In 1953, he was called to the Bar of both Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Having been a member of the New Brunswick Law Society for more than 50 years, he received a life membership in the organization in 2003. From 1953 to 1975, Mr. Stratton practiced law with W. Gerald Stewart, Q.C. in the Moncton firm Stewart & Stratton. In 1973, he was called to the inner bar as Queen’s Counsel. In May, 1975, Mr. Stratton was appointed a Justice of the Trial Division of the Supreme Court of New Brunswick and moved to Saint John. In August, 1980 Mr. Justice Stratton was appointed to the New Brunswick Court of Appeal and moved to Fredericton. In April, 1984 Mr. Justice Stratton was appointed Chief Justice of New Brunswick, succeeding retiring Chief Justice Charles J. A. Hughes. Chief Justice Stratton was the first Chief Justice of the Province who received his legal training at Canadian universities. In May, 1988 Chief Justice Stratton was awarded an Honourary Doctor of Laws Degree from St. Thomas University. Following his retirement as Chief Justice, Mr. Stratton was appointed by the Government of Nova Scotia to lead an independent investigation into allegations of abuse at five provincial institutions. In June, 1995 Mr. Stratton was then appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor in Council of New Brunswick to be Chairman of the New Brunswick Police Commission. In May, 2000, Chief Justice Stratton was appointed as New Brunswick’s first Conflict of Interest Commissioner, a position he held until 2005. Ever active in his community, Chief Justice Stratton served as a City Councillor for the City of Moncton from 1969 to 1971. During this period he took an active role, in co-operation with the Moncton Lions Club, in the construction of Moncton’s first Senior Citizens Tower. He was also involved with downtown redevelopment which resulted in the construction of a new City Hall Complex. The Chief Justice was a member and later Chairman of Moncton Family and Childrens Services; he served as a Director of the Victorian Order of Nurses; he was a Director of Moncton Industrial Development Ltd., President of the Moncton Barrister’s Society, a member of the Advisory Board of Canada Permanent Trust Company and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of St. John’s United Church in Moncton, where he was later named an Elder. He was a member of the Keith Lodge, F. & A. M. Within his profession, Chief Justice Stratton was Chairman of the Judicial Education Committee of the Canadian Judicial Council, Chairman of the Judicial Council of New Brunswick, and a member of the Canadian Judges Conference, the Canadian Bar Association, the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice and the International Commission of Jurists. He also served as Chairman of numerous internal justice administration committees and as Chairman and member of Scholarship Selection Committees. Resting at Brenan’s Funeral Home, 111 Paradise Row, Saint John (634-7424), with visiting on Monday, November 14, 2011 from 7-9 PM and Tuesday, November 15, 2011 from 2-4 and 7-9 PM. The funeral service will be held on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 2:00 PM from Trinity Anglican Church, 115 Charlotte Street, Saint John. Interment will take place at a later date in Greenwood Cemetery, Pointe du Chêne, New Brunswick. For those who wish, remembrances to the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation would be appreciated by the family.