George Ethelbert Carter

George Ethelbert Carter, CM was the first Canadian-born black judge. A graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School in 1948, Carter had his own law firm and practised in the areas of real estate, criminal and family law for 31 years. He was appointed an Ontario provincial court judge in 1979 and later served with the Ontario Court of Justice for 16 years. He worked as a porter to pay his tuition to law school, and served with the Canadian Army in World War II. He was instrumental in establishing Legal Aid in the Province of Ontario.

A bust of Justice Carter was unveiled at the Osgoode Hall Library in May 2014. A television documentary movie was made about his life in 2010, and he was named to the Order of Ontario in 2014.