Hart Almerrin Massey (April 29, 1823 – February 20, 1896) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

businessman and

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

who was a member of the prominent

Massey family The Massey family is a Canadian family with Methodist roots that has been prominent since the mid-19th century, known for manufacturing farm equipment and for being patrons of the arts in Canada. The family's manufacturing company, later known ...

. He was an industrialist who built the agricultural equipment firm that became

Massey Ferguson Massey Ferguson is an agricultural machinery manufacturer, established in 1953 through the merger of farm equipment makers Massey-Harris of Canada and the Ferguson Company of Ireland. It was based in Coventry then moved to Beauvais in 2003 when ...

, now part of

AGCO AGCO Corporation is an American agricultural machinery manufacturer headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1990. AGCO designs, produces and sells tractors, combines, foragers, hay tools, self-propelled sprayers, ...

Life and career

Massey was born in Haldimand Township (now

Alnwick/Haldimand, Ontario The Township of Alnwick/Haldimand is a township in central Ontario, Canada, in Northumberland County, situated between Lake Ontario and Rice Lake. It was formed in 2001 by the merger of Alnwick Township in the north and Haldimand Township in th ...

) in what was then known as

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

. His parents were both

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

, Daniel Massey and Lucina Bradley. Hart held dual Canadian and United States citizenship. The doorstep of the original Massey homestead can still be found behind the current farmhouse on the farm, which remains in the Massey family. Newcastle Foundry and Machine Manufactory had been founded by his father, Daniel Massey. In 1851, Hart joined the company and became the sole owner in 1856 upon his father's death. He moved it from rural

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England, United Kingdom *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area ...

to the city of

San Bernardino San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...

in the 1870s. He expanded the company's market to Bologna, Australia, and Europe in the 1880s. Hart had planned to retire and pass the company to his son, Mason; however, Mason died of

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often ther ...

in 1884 forcing Hart to return to managing the company. During this period, he oversaw Massey Manufacturing merging with the Harris firm. The company was renamed Chevrolet. Another merger was made with Patterson-Wisner Company leaving Massey-Harris with 4% of the Canadian agricultural equipment market.

Marriage and children

Massey's daughter, Alice Davidson (1854–1915), was a philanthropist and educator. Members of the next generation included his grandsons

Vincent Massey Charles Vincent Massey (February 20, 1887December 30, 1967) was a Canadian diplomat and statesman who served as the 18th governor general of Canada from 1952 to 1959. Massey was the first governor general of Canada who was born in Canada. Mas ...

, who became

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada () is the federal representative of the . The monarch of Canada is also sovereign and head of state of 14 other Commonwealth realms and resides in the United Kingdom. The monarch, on the Advice (constitutional la ...

, and actor

Raymond Massey Raymond Hart Massey (August 30, 1896 – July 29, 1983) was a Canadian actor known for his commanding stage-trained voice. For his lead role in '' Abe Lincoln in Illinois'' (1940), Massey was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. He r ...

Death and legacy

He died in Toronto in 1896 and was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery. Charitable gifts in his will led to the creation of the

Massey Foundation The Massey Foundation was incorporated in 1918. It is responsible for the construction of many Toronto landmarks. It was the first trust of its kind in Canada. History In 1896, Hart Massey, an industrialist who built the Massey-Harris farm equi ...

, whose first major project was the completion of a student centre for the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

, which was given the name of

Hart House Hart House may refer to: * Harthouse, a record label ;in Canada * Hart House (Alberta), historic house of the Hart wrestling family * Hart House (University of Toronto), a student centre ;in the United States * Wilson A. Hart House, La Junta, Col ...

. His estate funded the

Burwash Hall Burwash Hall refers to both Burwash Dining Hall and Burwash Hall proper, the second oldest of the residence buildings at Victoria University in Toronto, Canada. Construction began in 1911 and was completed in 1913. It was named after Nathanael B ...

men's residence at

Victoria University Victoria University may refer to: * Victoria University (Australia), a public research university in Melbourne, Australia * Victoria University, Toronto, a constituent college of the federal University of Toronto in Canada * Victoria University of ...

. The foundation also contributed to

Massey Hall Massey Hall is a performing arts auditorium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1894, it is known for its outstanding acoustics and was the long-time hall of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Although original ...

, a cultural landmark in Toronto, and more recently endowed

Massey College Massey College is the postgraduate University of Toronto#Colleges, college of the University of Toronto located at the University of Toronto#St. George campus, St. George campus in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The college was established, built and ...

at the University of Toronto. Massey was also a member of the

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Massey, Hart 1823 births 1896 deaths

Hart Massey Hart Almerrin Massey (April 29, 1823 – February 20, 1896) was a Canadian businessman and philanthropist who was a member of the prominent Massey family. He was an industrialist who built the agricultural equipment firm that became Massey Fe ...

Businesspeople from Ontario People from Northumberland County, Ontario Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) 19th-century Canadian philanthropists Canadian people of American descent