Faculty of Arts Professor Emeritus Peter Nesbitt Oliver died of cancer on Sunday, May 14, at Toronto General Hospital. He was 66.
A professor of Canadian history, Prof. Oliver specialized in the political, social and legal history of Ontario in the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as correctional history and penology. He was the author of five books, including Terror to Evil-Doers: Prisons and Punishment in Nineteenth Century Ontario (1998). From 1979-1998, he served as the editor-in-chief of The Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History, publishing 35 volumes. 
From 1971 to 1993, Oliver was also the associate editor of The Ontario Historical Studies Series, publishing 31 volumes.
Right: Prof. Peter Oliver
He was the recipient of numerous honours, including the Order of Ontario, the Queen’s Jubilee Medal and the Guthrie Medal.
There will be a celebration of Prof. Oliver’s life at Osgoode Hall, Queen Street and University Avenue, at the end of May or early June. Further information will be made available in YFile once details are finalized. In lieu of flowers, donations to The Osgoode Society to support student research in legal history would be appreciated.
Prof. Oliver leaves his children Anne, Kevin and Tony, two grandchildren and his partner Sandra “Sam” Webster.