John Peters Humphrey, Father of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
John P. Humphrey (left), in Geneva in 1947. McGill University Archives.
As part of a series of articles on major personalities who have furthered the cause of tolerance in Canada, Tolerance.ca® presents John Peters Humphrey, the primary drafter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations in 1948. Portrait of a remarkable man.
There is no doubt in the mind of John Hobbins, McGill University historian and author of Edge of Greatness, a four-volume series on the life of John Peters Humphrey, that Humphrey ranks as "one of the greats." The blueprint of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which he drafted in 1947, aimed to put high ideals into practice. As Humphrey noted, "There is a fundamental link between human rights and peace. There will be peace on earth when the rights of all are respected."
According to Mr. Hobbins, John Humphrey's entire life and work was marked by an unshakeable commitment to furthering human rights. Humphrey is the first Canadian to be awarded the United Nations Human Rights Award, in 1988. During his career, he received numerous awards and testimonials in recognition of his exceptional contribution to the field of human rights, including the Order of Canada (1974) and the Ordre national du Québec (1985).
John Humphrey had many admirers around the world, notes renowned Montreal lawyer and McGill University law professor Julius Grey, who was fortunate enough to be on intimate terms with him. But John Humphrey did not only have friends. His opinions often shocked those around him, for he said what he thought rather than what was expected of him. "And I greatly admired him for that courage," says Mr. Grey.
Humphrey would put up with no hypocritical or "politically correct" behaviour or statements, particularly when it came to Native autonomy, collective law and sexual harassment. Without question, this colourful character, paradoxical by nature, left no one indifferent, neither his admirers nor those scandalized by his positions.
A Tragic Childhood
A tragic childhood no doubt prepared John Humphrey to become the man he became. He was born in 1905 in Hampton, New Brunswick. He was not yet a year old when his father died, and the death of his mother ten years later made him an orphan at the age of 11.
As if that wasn't enough, at the age of six, he had his left arm amputated after a serious burn. Children can be cruel, as we know, and his schoolmates teased him; the school authorities did little to help matters. "Starting at a young age, he understood that it was necessary to protect the individual against society and the government," comments Mr. Hobbins.
In the 1920s, after attending Mount Allison University, Humphrey moved to Montreal. To his despair, he was obliged to study economics, as the family who was taking care of his education wanted him to become a banker. Finally, after completing his economics degree, he was able to study law, and finished second in his class.
As a young lawyer, he entered private practice. In 1929, in Paris, he married Jeanne Godreau, a young francophone Quebecer from Montmagny. "Through her, he became familiar with the French culture, civilization and language, and met several major Quebec personalities," notes another long-time friend, international law professor and former European Court of Human Rights judge Ronald St. John Macdonald.
On to the United Nations
After practicing law for several years in Montreal, John Humphrey joined the Faculty of Law at McGill University, remaining there until the end of World War II. Invited by the fledgling United Nations to set up its Human Rights Division, Humphrey refused McGill's offer to become Dean of the Faculty and moved to New York.
While he was Director of the Division, he drew up a 400-page draft outline that became the foundation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Third draft of the preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Credit:: Jack Goldsmith. Reproduced with the permission of McGill University Archives and Mr. John Hobbins.
The UDHR has served as the model for numerous constitutional documents drawn up in many countries, such as the Canadian Bill of Rights and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
"There is no doubt that John Humphrey's greatest achievement was the Universal Declaration. He was rightly proud of it," says Julius Grey. Eleanor Roosevelt, first chair of the Human Rights Commission, called it the "Magna Carta of Mankind." Pope Jean-Paul II would later call it "the conscience of humanity." Since its adoption on December 10, 1948, International Human Rights Day has been celebrated on that day every year.
On completing his term of office at the UN, Humphrey resumed his teaching position at McGill University, while continuing to promote human rights. He helped set up the Canadian Human Rights Foundation and the Canadian Section of Amnesty International.
Humphrey's personal life, however, was clouded by his wife's lengthy illness; after her death, he fell into a deep depression.
A New Life Begins on the Eve of Old Age
He then met Margaret Kunsler, a doctor whom he married two years later. They were 73 and 70 years old respectively.
The marriage introduced him to the joys of family life. "After having no children, he suddenly found himself married to a woman with two daughters who were themselves mothers," recounts Margaret's oldest daughter Dorothy Petersen. "My mother and John had a happy, very busy life. He was on the board of several prestigious organizations and Margaret went everywhere with him."
Recalling Humphrey's work with the Canadian Human Rights Foundation, where he taught at the Foundation's summer school in Charlottetown, Margaret's other daughter Moni Kuechmeister notes that her mother brought an important human element to John's career. "My mother would invite John's students home to dinner, after classes at the Foundation school."
The Great Betrayal
Despite the happiness that now filled Humphrey's life, he remained troubled and depressed by an injustice: someone else had taken the credit for his work.
For forty years, the paternity of the first draft of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was attributed to French jurist René Cassin. Humphrey had given his draft to Cassin for him to make some corrections. Error? Bad faith? Deliberate confusion? No one can say. But to Humphrey's dismay, when Cassin was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1968, he was referred to as the "father of the Universal Declaration." Julius Grey is convinced that Humphrey was not honoured because of his fiercely independent spirit.
Ohn Humphrey (right) with his biographer, John Hobbins. Credit: Jack Goldsmith. Reproduced with the permission of Mr. John Hobbins.
Fortunately, time heals all wounds. In June 1988, historian John Hobbins accidentally discovered Humphrey's notes for the draft. On the occasion of the UN's 40th anniversary, Humphrey was awarded the United Nations Prize for human rights advocacy. Hobbins asserts that other than in France, the international academic community now unanimously admits that John Humphrey was the principal drafter of the UDHR.
Humphrey died at the age of 89 in March 1995, a week after retiring from McGill. Although he had devoted his entire life to human rights, it had taken several decades for the authorities to recognize his accomplishments.
Julius Grey confides, "Humphrey is one of the most outstanding personalities I have met in my life." Grey and those who knew him remember a remarkable man who left behind an impressive life's work and an image of absolute integrity. He also leaves behind an inspiring story, an encouragement to persevere and aim ever higher.
Translated by Christine York.
To learn more:
BooksHobbins, A. J., ed.,
On the Edge of Greatness, The Diaries of John Humphrey, First Director of the United Nations Division of Human Rights, Montreal : McGill University Libraries, 1994 - 2000, vol. 1, 2, 3, 4.
Humphrey, John P.,
La Grande Aventure, Les Nations Unies et les droits de l'homme, Guérin Littérature, 1989.
Radio DocumentaryCanadian Drafts Human Rights Declaration, broadcast on May 5, 1998, produced by Bob Carty, CBC, available on the Internet at archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-71-659-3737/conflict_war/diplomacy/clip1
John Humphrey Web site: johnhumphreycentre.org
This article is one of a ten-part series made possible with the financial support of
