University of Toronto Archives and Record Management Services

917 Pages·2017·3.02 MB·English

University of Toronto Archives
and Record Management Services

Finding Aid
Inventory of the VINCENT MASSEY PERSONAL RECORDS

Volume 1: Description of Series
Volume 2: Index
Volume 3: File List

Contains the following accessions only:

• B1987-0082

For other accessions, please see the descriptions in Discover Archives
University of Toronto Archives

INVENTORY OF

THE VINCENT MASSEY PERSONAL RECORDS

(B1987-0082)

Descriptions of Series

Edited by Garron Wells
Compiled by Debra Barr

©University of Toronto Archives 1992,2009
Vincent Massey Personal Records B1987-0082

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................................3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.........................................................................................................................5
TECHNICAL NOTES.................................................................................................................................6
ACCESS AND USE STATEMENT............................................................................................................7
CHRONOLOGY OF THE LIFE OF CHARLES VINCENT MASSEY.................................................8
DESCRIPTIONS OF SERIES..................................................................................................................14
CORRESPONDENCE:...........................................................................................................................14
FINANCIAL RECORDS:.....................................................................................................................263
POLITICAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL RECORDS:........................................................................267
LITERARY PAPERS............................................................................................................................269
PERSONAL PAPERS...........................................................................................................................308
PAPERS OF ALICE MASSEY.............................................................................................................332
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Vincent Massey Personal Records B1987-0082

INTRODUCTION

The Vincent Massey Personal Records (UTA Accession No.
B87-0082) are over 100 metres in extent, and date from the
mid-1800s to the 1960s. They were acquired by Massey
College from Hart Massey in 1968, and were transferred on
permanent loan from Massey College to the University of
Toronto Archives in 1987. In compliance with this
agreement, these records are closed to researchers until
January, 1993.

The Massey Personal Records consist primarily of
official and personal documents created by Vincent Massey.
They reflect his distinguished diplomatic career, including
his terms as Canadian ambassador to the United States during
the 1920s and as High Commissioner to London during the
1930s and 1940s, along with his lengthy affiliation with the
Liberal Party of Canada. Also represented are his years as
Governor-General of Canada and as the leader of the Royal
Commission on National Development in the Arts, Sciences and
Letters. The moral and financial support given by Vincent
and Alice Massey to cultural development in Canada, both
individually and through the Massey Foundation, is evident
in a wealth of documents relating to the fields of
education, music, drama and fine arts (including such
institutions and organizations as the National Council of
Education, Hart House Quartet, Hart House Theatre, the
Dominion Drama Festival, and the National Art Gallery).
Their support of the University of Toronto is also well
documented. In addition to the records of Vincent Massey,
some papers of Alice Massey and correspondence of many
members of the Grant, Massey and Parkin families are
present.

The arrangement of the personal records that existed
when they were received by the University of Toronto
Archives has been respected. The filing systems maintained
by Vincent and Alice Massey varied according to the
different secretaries whom they employed, and files were
rearranged both by Vincent Massey (during the writing of his
autobiography What's Past is Prologue) and Claude Bissell
(during the writing of his two volume biography of Massey:
The Young Vincent Massey and The Imperial Canadian. Vincent
Massey in Office. University of Toronto Press, 1981 &
1986).

This Inventory is intended to provide the researcher
with access to the wealth of information contained in these
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Vincent Massey Personal Records B1987-0082

records. The descriptive work undertaken for this Inventory
has focussed on the textual records (mainly correspondence)
since they predominate and contain the most information on
the Massey family. As a result, special media such as
photographs, sound recordings, films and memorabilia have
only been briefly described, with little or no indexing.
It is hoped that a separate finding aid may be produced for
these records in the near future.

For related Massey Family material, researchers are
referred to the Massey Family Collection (MG 32, A1) held in
the Manuscript Division of the National Archives of Canada,
which was acquired from Hart Massey in 1971 and 1979.
Included are papers of: Vincent, Alice, Lionel and Hart
Massey; Hart Almerrin Massey and other members of the Massey
family; and members of the Parkin Family. Other related
material in the Manuscript Division includes: the George
Grant Collection (MG 31, D75); William L. and Maude Grant
Collection (MG 30, D59); George Raleigh Parkin Collection
(MG 30, D77); and Massey Foundation (MG 28, I136).

In addition to these are other related records at the
National Archives viz., the records of the Royal Commission
on National Development in the Arts, Sciences and Letters
(RG 33, 28, VR/a) in the Government Archives Division; and
the photographs of Walter Seldon (Acc. No. 1971-233), in the
Documentary Art and Photography Division. For additional
information, contact: National Archives of Canada, 395
Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N3.

Finally, as with all projects of this magnitude, errors
and omissions will occur. Researchers are asked to bring
these to the attention of:

University Archivist,
University of Toronto Archives,
University of Toronto,
Toronto, Ontario
M5S 1A5

Debra Barr
Compiler

December, 1990
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Vincent Massey Personal Records B1987-0082

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This inventory was compiled over a two-year period
(1989-1990) by Debra Barr, a graduate of Master of Archival
Studies programme at the University of British Columbia. Ms
Barr's indepth analysis of these records has resulted in a
research tool that will greatly assist researchers wishing
access to the wealth of information on Vincent Massey and
his life.

Kent Haworth, University Archivist from 1985 - 1989 was
responsible for engaging Ms Barr and for acquiring the
financial assistance of the Social Sciences and Humanities
Research Council of Canada (Research Tools Program) without
which this project would never have been undertaken
completed. The cooperation and assistance of the Master of
Massey College, Prof. Ann Saddlemyer and Professor Desmond
Neill (Librarian, Massey College) are also greatly
appreciated. Finally, thanks must go to the staff of the
University Archives, in particular Lagring Ulanday and
Barbara Edwards-Asubonteng, who provided the necessary
expertise and support to complete the project.
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Vincent Massey Personal Records B1987-0082

TECHNICAL NOTES

This Inventory is arranged in six series contained in two
volumes:

Correspondence
Financial Records
Political and Organizational records
Literary Papers
Personal Papers
Papers of Alice Massey

Within each series are listed subseries, arranged in
alphabetical order. These subseries have been derived from
the original file titles found on the folders. Where no
title existed, a title has been supplied in square brackets
[ ].

The numbers at the far right as in the following example
refer to the Box number and file number:

Acknowledgements. /002 (02)

The paragraph under each subseries heading contains
information on the form of the records (eg. correspondence,
photoprints, etc) and a scope and content note of the
information to be found in that particular box or file. Its
format has been adapted from Anglo-American Cataloguing
Rules (2nd edition revised).

Two indexes have been compiled: an Added Entries Index
(designated by *) and a Subject Index (Volume 2). Added
entries have been created for persons additional to Vincent
Massey who have been involved in the creation of a document.
Subject entries have been made for persons, corporate bodies
and some topics. Indexing has been done selectively, and
the researcher is advised to consult all series entries for
information relating to their area of study.

Volume 3 consists of a File List of all files as they are
arranged in their containers. Researchers are referred to
this list from the Inventory for details concerning the
content of such special media as photographs, sound
recordings, and film which have not been fully described.

Garron Wells
University Archivist.

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Vincent Massey Personal Records B1987-0082

ACCESS AND USE STATEMENT

Access

Researchers wishing access to the Vincent Massey Personal
Records must apply in writing, stating the nature of their
research, to:

Master, Massey College
4 Devonshire Place
Toronto, Ontario
M5S 2E1

Use

In so far as copyright subsists, Massey College holds
copyright on these personal records. Permission to publish
any material from the Vincent Massey Personal Records must
be obtained from the Master, Massey College at the above
address. Requests must be submitted in writing, stating the
nature of the material to be used and the context in which
it is to be used.

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Vincent Massey Personal Records B1987-0082

CHRONOLOGY OF THE LIFE OF CHARLES VINCENT MASSEY

1887: Charles Vincent Massey was born on February 20 in
Toronto, Ontario, to Chester Daniel Massey and Anna
Vincent

1896: his grandfather, Hart Almerrin Massey, died on
February 20

1896: his brother, Raymond Hart Massey, was born on August
30

pre-1903: attended Jarvis Collegiate Institute

1903: entered St. Andrew's College

1903: his mother, Anna, died on November 11

1906: entered University College, University of Toronto

1906-10: while attending University College, edited the
Evening
Blast, served on the Varsity staff, contributed to
Torontonensis, established and contributed to the
Arbor, chaired the Letters Club, was President of the
Modern Language Club, was Vice-President of the
Historical Club, served as an officer in the Queen's
Own Rifles

1910: Canadian delegate to the World Missionary Conference,
Edinburgh

1910: appointed a Trustee of the Hart Massey estate

1910: contracted typhoid fever while visiting England, and
was an invalid there until early 1911

1910-11: assisted in the development of Hart House

1911: entered Balliol College, Oxford

1911-13: while attending Balliol College, founded the Blue
Book, and (with Lionel Curtis) the Ralegh Club
1913-15: employed as Dean of the Men's Residence, Victoria
College,and as Lecturer in History, University of
Toronto
according to "Administrative Officers of Victoria
University," administrative list at Victoria
University Archives, Massey was Dean from 1913 to
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Vincent Massey Personal Records B1987-0082

1919; then, with George M. Smith, was Senior Tutor
in Residence from 1919 to 1924; and was Honorary
Dean of Residence from 1924 to 1936

1915: married to Alice Parkin on June 4
Card presenting "Miss Alice Stuart Parkin" to British
royalty, Box 130, File 5.

1915-18: served as staff officer, Military District No. 2,
rising to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel

1916: his son, Lionel, was born on July 2
According to a list in file titled "[Art] - Stained
Glass (James Ballantine)," Lionel's name was Lionel
C.V. (Charles Vincent?) Massey; according to "Clubs,
Societies," /015 (05), his name was Lionel C. Vincent
Massey

1918: his son, Hart, was born on March 30
According to a file titled "Clubs, Societies -
Memberships," /015 (05), his name was Hart P. (Parkin?)
Vincent Massey.

1918: appointed Associate Secretary, War Committee, Cabinet,
Government of Canada; later that year, was appointed
Secretary, Repatriation and Employment Committee, Cabinet

1918: acquired some Tom Thomson sketches, and commissioned
portrait from Frederick Varley

1919: became Secretary-Treasurer, Massey-Harris Company

1919: was instrumental in forming the Massey Foundation from
the Hart Massey estate

1919: through the Massey Foundation, in conjunction with the
Methodist Church, established commission on "Secondary
School and Colleges of the Methodist Church of Canada"

1919: opening of Hart House, funded by the Massey
Foundation, named in honour of Hart Almerrin Massey,
grandfather of Vincent; later followed by the establishment
of Hart House Theatre, in which Vincent Massey was
instrumental as patron, director and actor, and of Hart
House String Quartet, sponsored and promoted by Vincent
and Alice Massey

1920: appointed member, Board of Governors, University of
Toronto

1920: elected President, Arts and Letters Club
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