![Tribute to a Law Pioneer: The Latin-inscribed monument erected over Robert Sutherland's grave in Toronto's Mount Pleasant Cemetery was ordered in 1878 by Queen’s Principal George Monro Grant to forever mark his connection to Queen’s. The tablet-shaped tombstone of pink granite, about 6 ft. tall, remains in almost perfect condition. As translated into English, the inscription reads: “In memory of Robert Sutherland B.A. who lived 46 years [and] died on June 2, 1878. The University of Queen's College, his heir](/sites/lawwww/files/styles/sidebar/public/img/Sutherland%20Grave-EDIT_800x1301.jpg?itok=mv2y8k4G "Tribute to a Law Pioneer: The Latin-inscribed monument erected over Robert Sutherland's grave in Toronto's Mount Pleasant Cemetery was ordered in 1878 by Queen’s Principal George Monro Grant to forever mark his connection to Queen’s. The tablet-shaped tombstone of pink granite, about 6 ft. tall, remains in almost perfect condition. As translated into English, the inscription reads: “In memory of Robert Sutherland B.A. who lived 46 years [and] died on June 2, 1878. The University of Queen's College, his heir, placed this monument lest his loyalty to his alma mater fall into oblivion.” (Source: Amelia Briggs-Morris, Artsci’16)")
This Black Histories and Futures Month, Queen’s Law reflects on part of the legacy of Robert Sutherland, a Queen’s Arts 1852 graduate. Sutherland, the first Black university graduate and the first Black lawyer in British North America, became one of Queen’s University’s most important early benefactors.
In 2015, Queen’s Law commemorated Sutherland by establishing a fellowship in his name for graduate students. Since then, four PhD students have been awarded Sutherland Fellowships, making important research contributions in different areas of law.
(The story below was first published by Queen’s Law in September 2015.)
Robert Sutherland Fellowship in Law
Newly launched fellowship supports Caribbean graduate students
He was born in Jamaica and made history in Canada: Robert Sutherland graduated with many honours from Queen’s University in 1852 and went on to practise in Ontario as British North America’s first known Black lawyer.
Queen’s Law is proud to honour this legacy with the Robert Sutherland Fellowship in Law, which will support graduate students coming from Sutherland’s home region of the Caribbean to study on campus.
The Fellowship, established early in 2015, is the result of a collaboration among Dean Bill Flanagan and several alumni, including Gary Batasar, Law’96, Frank Walwyn, Law’93, and David Berry, LLM’93.
The Fellowship is named for the first Black graduate of an Ontario university, who went on to a notable career in law and ultimately saved Queen’s College from annexation by the University of Toronto through a $12,000 bequest, a fortune at the time and everything he had when he died in 1878. “I was always treated as a gentleman there,” his will said.
It’s because Sutherland hailed from the Caribbean that the Fellowship’s purpose is to raise funds to support graduate law students from that region.
“As a Trinidadian-born lawyer of Indian heritage, I am proud to support this worthy initiative to pay homage to Mr. Sutherland, who clearly was a brave pioneer,” says Batasar. “Among the lasting impressions that Queen’s has left ingrained in my character is a sense of loyalty, camaraderie and inclusion, both in one’s self and to the community at large.”
Walwyn agrees the Fellowship is a compelling way to celebrate both Queen’s Law and the importance of Sutherland to Canada’s legal history. “My time at Queen's played an extremely positive role in my preparation for the practice of law and my professional life,” he says. “I take great pride in my Caribbean roots and value tremendously the lessons learned growing up there, but I will always cherish the drive for excellence that Queen's instilled in me, and the warmth and loyalty of the community that we as alumni experience beyond graduation and throughout our professional lives."
As the Fellowship fundraising nears its goal of $100,000, Dean Flanagan is pleased by the support from alumni for this cause. “Queen’s Law has some strong ties to the Caribbean, and particularly to the University of the West Indies, where one of our graduates, David Berry, is serving as Dean,” he says. “Strengthening our ties is a great asset to Queen’s Law.”
Contributions to the fund can be made directly at www.givetoqueens.ca/sutherland.
By Matt Shepherd
The Robert Sutherland Fellows in Law
Alicia Elias-Roberts, PhD’23, was the first Sutherland Fellow, receiving the award in the academic years from 2016-17 to 2019-20. Her thesis was titled “Petroleum Activities in Disputed Maritime Areas: Guyana, a New Petroleum Frontier.” Six weeks after receiving her doctoral degree, she was appointed Dean of Law at the University of the West Indies (UWI), St. Augustine Campus in Trinidad and Tobago, beginning her four-year appointment on August 1. (See the story, “New PhD grad already a Caribbean dean.”)
Sarojini Persaud, PhD’23, received the Sutherland Fellowship in 2020-2021 for her thesis titled “The Canada Revenue Agency’s Implementation of First Nation-Canada Tax Administration Agreements: An Analysis of First Nation Sovereignty and Sui Generis Legal Status.”
Aleksandra Balyansnikova-Smith, PhD’22, was the 2021-22 Sutherland Fellow. Her thesis was titled “Towards a Global Environment Trust: Determination of the General Principle of Trust Under International Law and Its Application to the Global Environment.”
Aileen Editha, PhD candidate, the current Sutherland Fellow, has received the award for the past two years for her thesis, “Property, Personhood, and Genetic Materials: (Intellectual) Property Rights and the Regulation of Ownership and Interests over Human Genetic Materials and Resources.” Her article, “Settlement with family of Henrietta Lacks is an opportunity to reflect on inequalities in genetic research,” was published in The Conversation.
Read more about Robert Sutherland in the article, “Bruce County Lawyer Saves Queen’s University,” published in the Shoreline Beacon.