Vincent Massey, the first Canadian to be appointed Governor General, served between 1952 and 1959. Vincent Massey studied at the University of Toronto and at Balliol College Oxford. He lectured in history at the U of T, and when WWI came on, joined the army as a staff officer.
His family headed a large business concern that sold agricultural equipment, and after the war, he chaired Massey-Harris until Liberal Prime Minister Mackenzie King appointed him to cabinet. When Massey failed to win a seat in the next election, he was moved to the diplomatic service, serving as Canadian Minister to Washington and then as High Commissioner to London.
A well-known art collector, he chaired the National Gallery in London and the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. In 1949 he headed a Royal Commission on the development of the arts; it was the Massey Commission that recommended the creation of the Canada Council for the Arts.
During his time as governor general, Massey promoted Canadian identity and unity, as well as continuing to patronize the arts. Massey Theatre in New Westminster was named in honour of this first non-British governor general, as were many schools and institutes.
Of the many institutions in Canada named after Vincent Massey, perhaps the best-known is Toronto's iconic Massey Hall, below. Massey Hall picture from Clubzone.
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