Equinox911
Well-Known Member
Hamiltonians might have laughed at the antics of Walter Tucker over the years as he pushed and argued that marijuana was a religious sacrament in the church he founded in the 1960s.
But dont dare think he was a fool.
Over the past three decades, he gained a reputation as a self-taught lawyer who defended himself and church members in the courts, mostly on drug charges. He was a well-known figure in the courts along with his cohort Michael Baldasaro, a former mayoral candidate.
Tucker had victories, and his share of defeats, including jail time. He wasnt hesitant, however, to stand up in court and question legal formalities. He once told a provincial court judge he had no jurisdiction to hear a charge under the federal Narcotic Control Act and asked to have his 1989 trial for obstructing a peace officer videotaped like the Patricia Starr inquiry in Toronto.
Sometimes judges lost their patience one called him cheeky but generally they treated him with respect. In 1982, he was successful in having an obstructing police conviction overturned and got the judge to rule a second trial was not appropriate in the face of a request by the Crown.
Tucker, a founder of the Hamilton-based Church of the Universe, died of heart failure around 5 p.m. Thursday at Hamilton General Hospital. He was 79.
His death was reported in a statement released by the church shortly after 7 p.m. Tucker called himself a reverend in the church and Baldasaro is known as a brother.
Reverend Tucker would have been pleased that he just fell asleep, quietly with no pain, the church said. He recently told us he would be happy to pass away, anytime, because he loved what he had accomplished in life and lived a peaceful and contented existence among loving friends and family. He will be greatly missed.
Church officials could not be reached for further comment.
Tuckers knowledge of the law likely came through his background. Born in the Mennonite farming town of Rosthern, Sask. about 65 kilometres north of Saskatoon Walter Austin Tucker was one of nine children and the first son born to Walter Adam Tucker. His father worked as both a lawyer and a judge, but is probably best known for serving as MP for Rosthern for 11 years starting in the mid-1930s. Later, he led the Saskatchewan Liberal Party, serving as opposition leader. Tuckers siblings included three lawyers (one brother was a Crown attorney in Saskatoon).
Tucker even tried to follow his fathers footsteps. He ran as an independent in Hamilton West in the 1988 federal election and as a Libertarian in Wellington County.
Tucker was always good copy for local media. He sought publicity for his cause sometimes with outrageous stunts and got coverage. He was on hand when Baldasaro announced his candidacy for the leadership of the federal Conservative party in 1998, and in 1988 he laid charges against Prime Minister Brian Mulroney for failing to protect the rights of his church.
Tucker arrived in Hamilton in the early 1960s after a stint as a mechanic in the Canadian army and serving time in the Stoney Mountain Penitentiary in Manitoba. He confessed to a judge in 1988 he had been an unmanageable young man.
He married and raised a family on Proctor Boulevard and worked as an electrician. But society was in flux. He split from his wife and moved into an abandoned quarry in Puslinch, called Clearwater Abbey, and founded the Church of the Universe. He later led a court challenge to retain ownership from a quarry company and the Hamilton Conservation Authority, but was not successful.
The church did have its brushes with violence. In 1994, church member Daniel Morgan was murdered in Tuckers old apartment on Wentworth Street North, and a church member killed his roommate in Burlington in 1991. In 1975, a burnt body was found at Clearwater Abbey by Tucker and his son. He was believed to be the victim of bikers who frequented Clearwater at the time.
Tucker said in 1994 he might meet a violent end, but he also believed he could avoid what happened to Brother Daniel.
But dont dare think he was a fool.
Over the past three decades, he gained a reputation as a self-taught lawyer who defended himself and church members in the courts, mostly on drug charges. He was a well-known figure in the courts along with his cohort Michael Baldasaro, a former mayoral candidate.
Tucker had victories, and his share of defeats, including jail time. He wasnt hesitant, however, to stand up in court and question legal formalities. He once told a provincial court judge he had no jurisdiction to hear a charge under the federal Narcotic Control Act and asked to have his 1989 trial for obstructing a peace officer videotaped like the Patricia Starr inquiry in Toronto.
Sometimes judges lost their patience one called him cheeky but generally they treated him with respect. In 1982, he was successful in having an obstructing police conviction overturned and got the judge to rule a second trial was not appropriate in the face of a request by the Crown.
Tucker, a founder of the Hamilton-based Church of the Universe, died of heart failure around 5 p.m. Thursday at Hamilton General Hospital. He was 79.
His death was reported in a statement released by the church shortly after 7 p.m. Tucker called himself a reverend in the church and Baldasaro is known as a brother.
Reverend Tucker would have been pleased that he just fell asleep, quietly with no pain, the church said. He recently told us he would be happy to pass away, anytime, because he loved what he had accomplished in life and lived a peaceful and contented existence among loving friends and family. He will be greatly missed.
Church officials could not be reached for further comment.
Tuckers knowledge of the law likely came through his background. Born in the Mennonite farming town of Rosthern, Sask. about 65 kilometres north of Saskatoon Walter Austin Tucker was one of nine children and the first son born to Walter Adam Tucker. His father worked as both a lawyer and a judge, but is probably best known for serving as MP for Rosthern for 11 years starting in the mid-1930s. Later, he led the Saskatchewan Liberal Party, serving as opposition leader. Tuckers siblings included three lawyers (one brother was a Crown attorney in Saskatoon).
Tucker even tried to follow his fathers footsteps. He ran as an independent in Hamilton West in the 1988 federal election and as a Libertarian in Wellington County.
Tucker was always good copy for local media. He sought publicity for his cause sometimes with outrageous stunts and got coverage. He was on hand when Baldasaro announced his candidacy for the leadership of the federal Conservative party in 1998, and in 1988 he laid charges against Prime Minister Brian Mulroney for failing to protect the rights of his church.
Tucker arrived in Hamilton in the early 1960s after a stint as a mechanic in the Canadian army and serving time in the Stoney Mountain Penitentiary in Manitoba. He confessed to a judge in 1988 he had been an unmanageable young man.
He married and raised a family on Proctor Boulevard and worked as an electrician. But society was in flux. He split from his wife and moved into an abandoned quarry in Puslinch, called Clearwater Abbey, and founded the Church of the Universe. He later led a court challenge to retain ownership from a quarry company and the Hamilton Conservation Authority, but was not successful.
The church did have its brushes with violence. In 1994, church member Daniel Morgan was murdered in Tuckers old apartment on Wentworth Street North, and a church member killed his roommate in Burlington in 1991. In 1975, a burnt body was found at Clearwater Abbey by Tucker and his son. He was believed to be the victim of bikers who frequented Clearwater at the time.
Tucker said in 1994 he might meet a violent end, but he also believed he could avoid what happened to Brother Daniel.
