George L. (George Lewis) Canfield

author

George L. (George Lewis) Canfield

1866–1928

A Detroit attorney and legal writer, he helped explain admiralty law for students, mariners, and ship operators in the early 20th century. His best-known work turns a technical subject into a practical guide grounded in real legal experience.

1 Audiobook

The law of the sea : $b A manual of the principles of admiralty law for students, mariners, and ship operators

The law of the sea : $b A manual of the principles of admiralty law for students, mariners, and ship operators

by George L. (George Lewis) Canfield, J. Y. (Jasper Yeates) Brinton, George W. (George Walton) Dalzell

About the author

Born in Detroit on October 12, 1866, George Lewis Canfield was educated in the city's public schools and graduated from the University of Michigan in 1887. After studying law in the office of his father, admiralty lawyer Frank H. Canfield, he joined the Detroit bar and later became part of the firm that developed into Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone.

Canfield is remembered in the books world for The Law of the Sea (1921), a practical manual on admiralty law written with George W. Dalzell and issued with material relating to U.S. maritime law. The book was aimed not only at legal readers but also at mariners and ship operators, which gives it a clear, useful tone that still stands out.

A 1928 death notice described him as a prominent Detroit attorney and an authority on corporation law. He died in Detroit on December 28, 1928, at age 62.