John Peters Humphrey OC OQ (April 30, 1905 – March 14, 1995) was a Canadian legal scholar, jurist, and human rights advocate.
Humphrey attended a boarding school where he endured teasing from other students; it is claimed that this was influential in building his character and compassion.
[1] John Humphrey applied to Mount Allison University at the age of 15 from the Rothesay Collegiate School and was accepted.
While teaching at McGill in the early 1940s, Humphrey met Henri Laugier, a refugee from France who was working on behalf of the Free French.
[2] After consulting with the executive group of the Commission, chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, Professor Humphrey prepared the first preliminary draft of what was to become the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
While the idea was initially received quite positively, it was only after more than thirty years, under Secretary-General Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, that the office became a reality.
Among his many honours, Professor Humphrey was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1974, "in recognition of his contributions to legal scholarship and his world-wide reputation in the field of human rights".
[4] In September 1998, Nelson Mandela unveiled a commemorative plaque to Humphrey at the Human Rights Monument, Ottawa, as part of Canada's tribute on the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration.
The memorial, entitled the CREDO monument was sculpted by Hooper Studios and was commissioned by the Hampton John Peters Humphrey Foundation.
It is located just a few hundred yards from his childhood home, consists of a UN-style wooden bench with a young and old Humphrey seated.