Albert Edward Matthews (May 17, 1873 – December 16, 1949) was the
16th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.
Matthews was born in
Lindsay, Ontario. He worked as an investment broker in
Toronto and rose to the position of director of various companies. Matthews served as Ontario's 16th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 1937 to 1946. He took office during the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
while
Mitchell Hepburn was
Premier of Ontario
The premier of Ontario (french: premier ministre de l'Ontario) is the head of government of Ontario. Under the Westminster system, the premier governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority the elected Legislative Assembly of On ...
. Hepburn had come to office promising to show austerity by curtailing the perks and privileges of, among others, the lieutenant-governor.
Chorley Park
Government House was the official residence of the lieutenant governor of Upper Canada and Ontario, Canada. Four buildings were used for this purpose, none of which exist today, making Ontario one of four provinces not to have an official vice-reg ...
, the grand official residence of the lieutenant-governor since 1915, was closed in the first year of Matthews' term and its contents auctioned off leaving him with a suite in the legislative buildings for
official functions. As a result, Matthews did less official entertaining during his term in office at Queen's Park quarters than anticipated. He instead hosted royalty and other dignitaries at his Toronto estate.
Making many visits to churches, hospitals, military, civic, and government functions in his role as Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Matthews brought a steady dignity to his service while in office. Highlights of his tenure include the August 18, 1938, opening with US President
Franklin D. Roosevelt of the
Thousand Islands Bridge, connecting Ontario to New York State. Matthews was also present for the first visit to Canada by a reigning
Canadian monarch, King
George VI, who was accompanied by his wife,
Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to:
Queens regnant
* Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland
* Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022 ...
. Matthews and Ontario Premier Mitchell Hepburn officially welcomed the King and Queen to
Queen's Park, Toronto, on May 22, 1939.
Matthews died in
Windermere, Ontario, in 1949 and was buried in
Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto.
In 1960, to commemorate his lifetime of service in the Baptist Church, the Matthews Memorial Tower was built at
McMaster Divinity College in
Hamilton, Ontario.
One of his sons was
World War II Major General and businessman
Bruce Matthews and the other was Paul Matthews, a very successful Toronto stockbroker.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Albert Edward
1873 births
1949 deaths
Canadian Baptists
Lieutenant Governors of Ontario
People from Kawartha Lakes