John Alton Duncan was a Manitoba

Manitoba

Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...

 lawyer and judge.

Biography

He received his call to the Bar on October 1, 1958. He began his legal career practising law in Morden

Morden, Manitoba

Morden is a small town with a population of 6571 located in the Pembina Valley region of southern Manitoba, Canada. Morden is less than ten minutes west of neighbouring Winkler, and a relatively short distance to Pembina Valley Provincial Park...

 with the firm of Duncan and Duncan, and then later with Duncan Hanssen & Hoeschen. In December 1978, Mr. Duncan was appointed Queen's Counsel

Queen's Counsel

Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...

. He served as President of the Law Society of Manitoba from 1980-1981. In 1991 he was appointed to the Court of Queen's Bench of Manitoba

Court of Queen's Bench of Manitoba

The Court of Queen's Bench of Manitoba is the superior court of the Canadian province of Manitoba...

, to serve as a Family Division judge in Brandon

Brandon, Manitoba

Brandon is the second largest city in Manitoba, Canada, and is located in the southwestern area of the province. Brandon is the largest city in the Westman region of Manitoba. The city is located along the Assiniboine River. Spruce Woods Provincial Park and CFB Shilo are a relatively short distance...

. In 1996, he was transferred to the Family Division in Winnipeg, where he continued to serve as a judge until his retirement in 2006. Duncan died on June 5, 2007.