Arthur E. Maloney defence lawyer, politician and Ontario’s first ombudsman
On a winter walk through Mt. Hope Cemetery in midtown Toronto, gavel in hand, I visited the grave of prominent defence lawyer Arthur Edward Maloney.
Arthur was born in Eganville, Ontario and was the son of a medical doctor. His father would later change professions and serve as a Member of Parliament for the federal riding of Renfrew South for over a decade. Politics ran in the family. His mother also hailed from a political background—her father, James Bonfield, had been a member of the Ontario provincial legislature. This lineage would influence Arthur later in life.
Dr. Martin James Maloney, father of Arthur.
After graduating from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1943, Maloney was called to the Ontario bar and established a criminal law practice in Toronto. His real strength in the courtroom wasn’t flashy theatrics but a mastery of detail, which made his arguments feel grounded and trustworthy rather than clever or slippery. He spoke plainly and calmly, often in a measured, almost conversational tone—a style that played especially well with juries.
Arthur went on to have a distinguished legal career, defending clients such as the “Boyd Gang,” a notorious Toronto-area criminal group. Taking on such an unpopular case thrust him into the public eye and cemented his reputation as a lawyer willing to stand by clients that few others would defend.
The famous Boyd Gang.
After his legal career, Maloney became the Member of Parliament for Toronto-Parkdale in 1957. He would also become the principal drafter of the 1960 Canadian Bill of Rights, a significant step in protecting individual rights before the Charter of Rights and Freedoms existed. Later, he was appointed as Ontario’s first Ombudsman, where he became known as a defender of civil liberties and a staunch advocate for fairness.
Arthur Edward Martin Maloney QC, passed away on September 20, 1984, in Ottawa, Ontario. He was 64.
1919–1984
See my related site on Canada’s greatest trial lawyers.
