Vincent Massey
Charles Vincent Massey , PC , CC , CH (born February 20, 1887 in Toronto , † December 30, 1967 in London , United Kingdom ) was a Canadian diplomat and politician . After nearly two decades as ambassador , he was the 18th Governor General of Canada from 1952 to 1959 and the first Canadian to hold this office.
biography
Father Chester D. Massey was the owner of Massey-Harris , the predecessor of the international tractor manufacturer Massey Ferguson . The family were among the wealthiest in Toronto and supported numerous charitable organizations. Massey's younger brother was Canadian actor Raymond Massey , making him the uncle of British actors Anna Massey and Daniel Massey .
Massey received his education at St. Andrew's College in Aurora . He then studied history at the University of Toronto and Balliol College , Oxford . In 1914 he was appointed Dean of Victoria College, University of Toronto. From 1921 to 1925 he was chairman of the family business Massey-Harris. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King , whom he met while studying in Toronto, appointed him Minister without Portfolio in September 1925 . Massey needed a seat in the House of Commons , but lost a month later in the 1925 General Election and had to resign.
In 1926 King appointed him the first ambassador to Canada with full diplomatic status , after which he took up his post in Washington, DC the following year . In 1930 he resigned to accept the appointment as High Commissioner in London . However, the Liberal government suffered defeat in the 1930 general election and the new Prime Minister Richard Bedford Bennett revoked the appointment. When the Liberals were back in power with King from 1935, Massey was still able to take up this office and held it until 1946.
Vincent Massey was socially committed through the family foundation, the Massey Foundation, especially in the field of education. In 1949 he was appointed chairman of the commission for the national development of art, literature and science. The aim of the commission was to preserve the independence of Canadian culture from the USA. In 1951 she published the Massey Report , which led to the establishment of the National Library of Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts (Culture Council).
On February 1, 1952, Massey was named Governor General of Canada and sworn in four weeks later. He was the first Canadian to hold this post and represented the monarch before the government. Massey toured the country extensively and endeavored to create a distinct Canadian identity without, however, giving up ties to the British motherland. He also continued to act as a patron of art and science. On September 15, 1959, he handed over the office to Georges Vanier .
Massey continued his philanthropic work. In 1963 he opened the University of Toronto's Massey College, which had been funded by the Massey Foundation. While he was still in office, he had proposed a British-independent award system for Canadians. In 1964 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . Massey was among the first to be included in the new Order of Canada in 1967. In the same year he died while visiting London.
Web links
- Short biography on the Governor General's website
- Charles Vincent Massey ( English, French ) In: The Canadian Encyclopedia .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Massey, Vincent |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Massey, Charles Vincent (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Canadian diplomat and politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 20, 1887 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Toronto |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 30, 1967 |
| Place of death | London |