Born:
January 2, 1852 – May 12, 1939

Call Year:
1875

Distinguished as:
Longest serving President of The Hamilton Law Association

Thomas Colhoun Haslett was born January 2nd 1852 in Belleville, Canada West to John James Haslett, a very prominent civil engineer, and Frances C. Woods. He was educated by a private tutor at grammar school, and at Albert College in Belleville. He received his BA in 1870 and then studied law with A.K. Dougall, of Belleville he was a student in the offices of Judge McDougall of Toronto and of William Laidlaw of Hamilton. In 1875 he was called to the bar. Haslett returned to Hamilton and commenced practice in partnership with David Black Chisholm, as Chisholm and Haslett. From 1884 to 1887 Haslett was a partner with Stephen Frederick Washington, a former student in his office. Form may year Haslett practised alone, until in 1933 he formed another partnership, Haslett and Ambrose, with Alan Ambrose. Haslett was named King’s Counsel in 1908. Latterly he dealt with corporation and trust business, rarely appearing in court. In 1925 Haslett celebrated his golden anniversary as a member of the bar. At the time of his death, he had been practising law a total of sixty-four years; for the last twenty he had been President of the Hamilton Law Association.

Haslett also participated in the business world. He was vice-president of the Federal Life Assurance Co., chairman of the mercantile Trust Co., a board member of the National Trust Co., and several other corporations.

Haslett was active in many clubs. He chaired the Hamilton Club and served as President of the Thistle Club and the Hamilton Golf and Country Club. He was a life member of the Albany Club, the Caledon Mountain Trout Club, the Royal Hamilton Yacht Club (in 1933 the oldest living member), and the Toronto Club. He especially enjoyed bowling, curling, golf, lacrosse, and yachting. His ambition, he said was ‘to grow old gracefully and good-naturedly,’ and from all accounts he did just that.

Source: Haslett, Thomas Colhoun, Dictionary of Hamilton Biography: 1925-1939 pg.87