Robert Beaton was born on June 19, 1912 in Port Hood, Cape Breton. Beaton was a good hockey player and coach, but he was best known for his work in the boxing ring. A fine fighter in the 1930s (twelve professional bouts – all wins – nine by knockouts), Beaton turned to refereeing in 1935 and continued until 1977.

He handled over 500 main events, 38 Canadian Championships and three British Empire Championships. Beaton was credited with introducing the “three judge” system in 1954 in Pictou County, which was adopted throughout the United States and Canada. He was also a member of the Nova Scotia Boxing Authority.

Robert passed away on June 11th, 2007.