The Enigmatic W.P.M. Kennedy: the history of a Canadian academic

In this podcast episode, Greg Marchildon interviews legal scholar Martin L. Friedland on his biography of one of Canada’s most prominent legal and constitutional scholars of the 20th century. His book - Searching for W.P.M. Kennedy: The Biography of an Enigma was published by the University of Toronto Press in 2020. Friedland came into possession of Kennedy’s correspondence and other documents after purchasing the cottage in which Kennedy did so much of his writing. This treasure trove of documentation allowed Friedland to write a detailed biography of Kennedy, the author of The Constitution of Canada (1922) and other works that had a profound impact on legal, constitutional and political scholarship in Canada. Martin Friedland is University Professor and James M. Tory Professor of Law Emeritus at the Univeristy of Toronto, and (like Kennedy) was once Dean of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law. If you like our work, please consider supporting it: https://bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.