Gordon F. Henderson

Upon his call to the bar, Henderson joined the firm of Henderson & Herridge (which later became Gowling Lafleur Henderson).[5] Within 3 years, and before the age of 28, Henderson had appeared successfully on two separate occasions at the Supreme Court of Canada.[6] Henderson in charge Gowling Lafleur Henderson (now Gowling WLG) for many years and In 1970 he and Gordon Gowling branded the firm "Gowling and Henderson".[7] Henderson was not content with Gowlings staying only in Ottawa and in 1980 opened an office in Toronto. The firm expanded and eventually become international.[8] Throughout his career, Henderson developed a reputation for litigation in all areas of law, especially in intellectual property. Former Ontario Superior Court Justice Roydon Kealey referred to Henderson as "one of three top lawyers in Canada. He was a legend, a prodigious worker, and more or less a genius." Ian Scott, former Attorney General of Ontario, called him "the best all-round lawyer the profession has produced since the War."[6] By the time of his death, Henderson appeared as counsel in nearly 400 reported cases, including 90 before the Supreme Court of Canada.[6] Henderson never retired and was highly respected right until he died at 81.[9]

Henderson was also an active participant in professional associations both within and outside the legal community. He was heavily involved in the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada[10] and was the president of the Canadian Bar Association from 1979 to 1980.[11] He was also involved with the International Bar Association as a member of the council of the business law section. Henderson helped found the Canadian Law Information Council.[5]

He was also the founding editor of the Canadian Patent Reporter (CPR) (which he started in 1941).[5][12] The CPR was one of the first continuous case reporters for Canadian intellectual property law decisions, and remains a leading reporter today. For most of its existence, Henderson wrote virtually every headnote and comment in the publication.[6]

Henderson was a part time lecturer at the University of Ottawa.[13] In his later years, Henderson served on the Board of Governors of the University of Ottawa, and from 1991 until his death in 1993, he was Chancellor of the university.

He was the first honorary chairperson for REACH Canada (1981), an organization that assists people with disabilities in getting legal help.[14]

He was a part owner of the Ottawa Rough Riders from 1967 to 1969, during which the team won 2 Grey cup championships in 1968 and 1969.[15]

In 1965 He was elected president of CKOY limited, now CIWW (CityNews Ottawa), and was a part owner in CKOY as well as in Ottawa Cablevision.[16] In 1980, Henderson joined the board of directors at Selkirk Communications.[17]

Tennessee Eastman Co v. Canada (Commissioner of Patents): Henderson represented the appellant (Tennessee Eastman Co) and lost.[18]

Capital City V. CRTC: Henderson acted on behalf of the appellants (Capital City). The court held that the content on both cable and broadcast television was within the jurisdiction of the Federal Government. Henderson lost this case. (1978)[19]

Johnson (S.C.) and Son, Ltd. et al. v. Marketing International Ltd. (1980)[20]

St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church v. Ottawa (1982)[21]

R. v. Eldorado Nuclear Ltd.; R. v. Uranium Canada Ltd.: Henderson represented the appellant (Uranium Canada). Henderson argued that as a crown company, Uranium Canada could not be prosecuted, and he won. (1983)[22]

Operation Dismantle v. R: Henderson represented the appellant (Operation Dismantle) and lost.[23]

International Woodworkers of America, Local 2-69 v. Consolidated-Bathurst Packaging Ltd: Henderson acted on behalf of the respondent (Ontario Labour Relations Board) and won.[24]

Henderson congratulates Leonard Cohen as he receives an award

Henderson was instrumental in the formation of SOCAN, a major Canadian copyright collective, as its lawyer and later as chairman.[25] Henderson was in charge of the Performing Rights Organization of Canada (PROCAN), which merged with the Composers, Authors, and Publishers Association of Canada (CAPAC) to create SOCAN in 1990. BMI's president Edward M. Cramer credits the initiative for the merger to himself and Gordon Henderson.[26] Today SOCAN represents over 135,000 people in the music industry.

The Gordon F. Henderson/SOCAN Copyright Competition was named in his honour in 1990 and annually has offered a prize of $2000 to a Canadian law student, or lawyer in their first year of articling, for an essay on the subject of copyright relating to music[27]

At the time of his death, Henderson was a member of the Senate of the Stratford Festival[25]

• Queen's Counsel (QC)
• 1988 B'nai B'rith Award of Merit[32]
• Honorary Consul to Liberia in Canada[32]

• 1983-1993: Life bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada[34]

Location	Year	School	Degree
Ontario	1979	University of Ottawa	Doctor of Laws (L.L.D.)
Ontario	1982	Law Society of Ontario	Doctor of Laws (L.L.D.)
Ontario	1984	Carleton University	Doctor of Laws (L.L.D.)

[35]

• Gordon F. Henderson Award (CCLA)
• Gordon F. Henderson/SOCAN Copyright Award

• Gordon F. Henderson Postdoctoral Fellowship
• Gordon F. Henderson Chair in Human Rights
• Ottawa Heart Institute Gordon F. Henderson Chair in Leadership

• Gordon F. Henderson Law Library

Henderson was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada on November 8, 1988. His citation reads:[32]

One of Canada's top lawyers, he has served his profession and his community with equal distinction. Even while serving in positions as varied as President of the Canadian Bar Association and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the University of Ottawa, he has devoted himself to a variety of humanitarian causes which have earned him the 1988 Award of Merit of the B'nai B'rith Foundation.

• Henderson Gordon F and National Judicial Institute. Copyright and Confidential Information Law in Canada. Carswell 1994.
• Henderson Gordon F and National Judicial Institute. Patent Law of Canada. Carswell 1994.
• Henderson Gordon F. Intellectual Property: Litigation Legislation and Education: A Study of the Canadian Intellectual Property and Litigation System. Consumer and Corporate Affairs Canada 1991.
• Henderson Gordon F. Trade-Marks Law of Canada. Carswell 1993.
• Henderson Gordon F. Canadian patent reporter: Third series. Canada Law Book Co 1985-1999[36]

• Henderson Gordon F. “Book Review: Copyright and Performing Rights.” The University of Toronto Law Journal 1959 pp. 116–118.[37]
• Henderson, Gordon F. "Patent Licensing: Problems from the Imprecision of the English Language." Ottawa L. Rev. 4 (1970): 62.[38]
• Henderson, Gordon F. "Foreign Court and the National Interest, the Effect of Foreign Judgments on Activities in Canada." Int'l Bus. Law. 3 (1975): 133.[39]
• Henderson, Gordon F., and Emilio S. Binavince. "Doing Business in Canada and the Judicial Review of Wrongful Government Statutory and Regulatory Action." Can.-USLJ 7 (1984): 1.[40]