|
Arthur Daniel Bessemer fonds
Kirsten Olson, Legal Archives Society of Alberta
The Legal Archives Society of Alberta has recently completed a descriptive inventory of the records of Arthur Daniel Bessemer who practiced law in Calgary from 1935-1978.
Bessemer was born in South Dakota, U.S.A. on April 23, 1908 and attended high school in Stettler, Alberta. He was admitted to the Alberta bar in 1936 after graduating from the University of Alberta with a B.A. in 1933 and LL.B. in 1935. Between 1936 and 1945 he worked with the Fenerty & McLaurin law firm and in 1946 he assumed the position of in-house counsel for Imperial Oil Ltd. After working for a short time during the early 1950s with the Macleod Dixon law firm, he left in 1954 to pursue a solo practice. In 1958, he joined the firm of Howard, Bessemer, Moore, Dixon & Mackie, later known as Howard Mackie. Bessemer continued working there until 1968, then in 1969 became involved in a new firm Bessemer, McKillop, Tompkins and Watson. Late in 1969 he was appointed Master of Chambers for the Supreme Court in Calgary, taking up his duties on May 14, 1970. He retired in 1978. Art Bessemer was also active in the legal community and was affiliated with the Alberta, Canadian and Calgary Bar Associations. Between 1965 and 1967 he was appointed a Bencher of the Law Society of Alberta and served on several Law Society committees. His appointment as Q.C. came on December 31, 1957. Arthur Bessemer passed away on August 24, 1993.
The majority of the fonds is made up of client files. Bessemer's practice was largely in corporate law, especially oil and gas. Many files involved routine incorporation and maintenance of corporate registration. Oil and gas files mostly concern lease matters and farmin or farmout agreements. A substantial number of Bessemer's clients were small and medium sized American companies active in Alberta, and many clients were independent oil promoters and individuals with interests in the industry. In the sixties, Bessemer began to undertake a small amount of estate, real estate, and injury law. After leaving Howard Bessemer et al, the number of new files opened by Bessemer dropped significantly. Litigation played only a very minor role in Bessemer's practice, generally undertaken for established clients as part of managing their legal affairs. The other two series of records relate to Bessemer's activities as a Bencher and committee member of the Law Society of Alberta, and a small number of files include personal correspondence and professional correspondence generated during Bessemer's tenure as a Master in Chambers in Calgary.
Processing of the Art Bessemer fonds was made possible by a grant from the Archives Society of Alberta, Access to Holdings program. The papers can be viewed Monday through Friday by calling the office of the Legal Archives Society of Alberta at 244-5510.
|
