John Peters Humphrey: Canadian Nationalist and World Government Advocate

SummaryJohn Peters Humphrey is best known for drafting the United NationsUniversal Declaration of Human Rights, a role that, while significant, comprised only a brief period in Humphrey’s life. Prior to his time at the UN, Humphrey was an adamant Canadian nationalist who argued for a strong, united Canada. At the same time, he was highly critical of international organization and argued for a federal, world government. This apparent contrariness was also seen in his choice of employment. Supportive of world government, Humphrey viewed the UN as little more than a “defensive alliance.” Humphrey’s paradoxical views and actions are far more coherent than they first appear. It is possible to see in them a single, unifying trend: federalism. Federalism’s layered government structure has the ability to preserve regional differences and also to connect the individual to each layer of law. At the UN, Humphrey was able to make great strides in this direction, and today several international bodies receive complaints directly from individual complainants. In this way, Humphrey helped connect the individual with international law.