Canada’s first-ever Canadian-born Governor General, the Right Honourable Vincent Massey, was born on this date in 1887. He was a member of one of Canada’s richest families, and was to spend most of his career as a leading diplomat. His service as Canada’s High Commissioner to the UK during the lead-up to the Second World War and on through 1946 is remembered as amongst the high points in Canada-UK relations. Prime Minister Louis St.-Laurent recommended Massey’s appointment to Queen Elizabeth II and in 1952 he started his duties as Her Majesty’s representative in Canada. His was milestone record of service and he held office as Governor General until 1959. Massey passed into history in 1967.
Arthur Milnes is an accomplished public historian and award-winning journalist. He was research assistant on The Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney’s best-selling Memoirs and also served as a speechwriter to then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper and as a Fellow of the Queen’s Centre for the Study of Democracy under the leadership of Tom Axworthy. A resident of Kingston, Ontario, Milnes serves as the in-house historian at the 175 year-old Frontenac Club Hotel.