Vincent Massey

Vincent Massey 1887-1967, Canadian statesman, b. Toronto; brother of actor Raymond Massey. After a brief career as a professor he served (1918-19) as a government official before joining his family's farm machinery company, of which he was (1921-25) president. A Liberal party supporter, he served as Canada's first minister to the United States (1926-30) and as high commissioner in England (1936-46). He was (1947-52) chancellor of the Univ. of Toronto and then served (1952-59) as governor-general of Canada; he was the first native-born Canadian to hold the post.

Bibliography: See his memoirs (1963).

Massey, Charles Vincent (b. 20 Feb. 1887, d. 30 Dec. 1967). Governor-general of Canada 1952–9 The first Canadian-born governor-general, he was educated at Oxford before returning to his native Toronto to teach at the University. After serving in World War I he became president of the family firm of Massey-Harris. In 1926 he was appointed first Canadian minister to the USA, and he was Canadian high commissioner in London 1935–46, where he served with distinction. After the war he was chairman of an influential Royal Commission on the Arts and Sciences in Canada, whose recommendations resulted in the creation of the Canada Council to promote the arts. His close links with the UK eased the transition to appointing governor-generals who were Canadian-rather than British-born.