Lilias Evva Massey (formerly Van Buskirk; ;"Mrs. Lionel Massey Leads Busy Social Life". ''

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as ''The Bytown Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the '' ...

'', May 14, 1954. 1918 – January 19, 1997) was a Canadian dignitary, who served as

châtelain Châtelain (from la, castellanus, derived from ''castellum''; pertaining to a castle, fortress. Middle English: '' castellan'' from Anglo-Norman: ''castellain'' and Old French: ''castelain'') was originally the French title for the keeper of a c ...

e of

Rideau Hall Rideau Hall (officially Government House) is the official residence in Ottawa of both the Canadian monarch and their representative, the governor general of Canada. It stands in Canada's capital on a estate at 1 Sussex Drive, with the main b ...

during her father-in-law

Vincent Massey Charles Vincent Massey (February 20, 1887December 30, 1967) was a Canadian lawyer and diplomat who served as Governor General of Canada, the 18th since Confederation. Massey was the first governor general of Canada who was born in Canada after ...

's term as

Governor General of Canada The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, t ...

. Vincent Massey was a

widower A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word can so ...

whose wife Alice died 18 months before his appointment as Governor General. Lilias, who was married to Vincent and Alice Massey's son, Lionel, is to date the only person to have served as the official host or hostess of Rideau Hall who was not the Governor General's spouse. Due to the conventions of formal address that were used in the 1950s, she may also be referred to in some references as "Mrs. Lionel Massey" rather than by her own given name. However, she was not given the honorary style of

Her Excellency Excellency is an honorific style (manner of address), style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder ...

,"Girl Who Grew Up Around Corner Rideau 'First Lady'". ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', May 10, 1952. which is normally given to a Governor General's spouse, nor was she inducted into the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

Background

The daughter of businessman and politician

T. Franklin Ahearn Thomas Franklin "Frank" Ahearn (May 10, 1886 – November 7, 1962) was a Canadian businessman and politician. Ahearn is best known as an owner of the original Ottawa Senators National Hockey League (NHL) hockey club and a Canadian Member of Par ...

, she was raised in Ottawa just a few blocks from Rideau Hall at

7 Rideau Gate 7 Rideau Gate is the Canadian government's official state guest house for very important dignitaries, such as visiting heads of government or other high-level officials. The house is located in Ottawa, Ontario, near other official residences such ...

. She worked as an ambulance driver for the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

during World War II before marrying Lionel Massey in 1946. She had previously been married to Flying Officer Douglas Byrd Van Buskirk, a

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

pilot who died in combat in 1941. The Masseys resided in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

and Canton, and briefly in London, England, until Vincent Massey was appointed as Governor General in 1952. Being the spouse of a Governor General is an important public role in its own right, thus Vincent Massey's status as a widower necessitated the appointment of an acting châtelaine, and Lilias Massey was selected for the role. Lionel Massey simultaneously served as

Secretary to the Governor General of Canada The Secretary to the Governor General () is the administrative head of the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General (OSGG)—the government department that supports the work of the Governor General of Canada—and is based at Rideau Hall in ...

."Warm Wet Welcome: Governor-General Greeted by Downpour on Visit to President Eisenhower". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', May 4, 1954.

Châtelaine

As châtelaine, Massey's duties included hosting visiting dignitaries at Rideau Hall, and accompanying the Governor General on his official state visits and public appearances. During her term as châtelaine, Lionel and Lilias Massey maintained their primary residence at

Rideau Cottage Rideau Cottage is a historic residential building located on the grounds of Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Ontario. The two-level, 22-room Georgian Revival home is owned by the Canadian Crown and has traditionally been inhabited by people associated wi ...

on the grounds of

, while also sometimes returning to Batterwood House, the Masseys' private family home in Canton, for weekends and vacations. In 1953, she accompanied Vincent Massey as Canada's official representatives at the coronation of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

, and later hosted a state visit to Ottawa by

Dwight Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

. In 1954, the Masseys in turn undertook a state visit to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, and later hosted

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was the l ...

at Rideau Hall. In 1955, they hosted Princess Mary, Princess Royal at Rideau Hall. In 1956, she accompanied Vincent Massey on a tour of the

Canadian Arctic Northern Canada, colloquially the North or the Territories, is the vast northernmost region of Canada variously defined by geography and politics. Politically, the term refers to the three territories of Canada: Yukon, Northwest Territories and N ...

, during which she became the first woman ever to fly over the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Mag ...

. Upon the end of the tour, she briefly fell ill and was taken to hospital in

The Pas The Pas ( ; french: Le Pas) is a town in Manitoba, Canada, located at the confluence of the Pasquia River and the Saskatchewan River and surrounded by the unorganized Northern Region of the province. It is approximately northwest of the provinc ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

. As of that trip, she had accompanied Vincent Massey on all but two of his 86 official trips across Canada. In 1957, she was the official presenter of the Lady Tweedsmuir Cup, a women's

curling Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns sliding ...

championship trophy named for

Susan Buchan, Baroness Tweedsmuir Susan Charlotte Buchan, Baroness Tweedsmuir (''née'' Grosvenor; 20 April 1882 – 22 March 1977) was a British writer and the wife of author John Buchan. Between 1935 and 1940 she was viceregal consort of Canada while her husband was the gover ...

, to the winning

Royal Montreal Curling Club The Royal Montreal Curling Club (French: Club de Curling Royal Montréal) is the oldest curling club in North America, established on January 27, 1807 by a group of Scottish Canadian immigrants in Montreal. The group met at the Gillis Tavern to ...

."Mrs. Lionel Massey Presents Tweedsmuir Cup". ''

Ottawa Journal The ''Ottawa Journal'' was a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, from 1885 to 1980. It was founded in 1885 by A. Woodburn as the ''Ottawa Evening Journal''. Its first editor was John Wesley Dafoe who came from the ...

'', February 2, 1957. Other dignitaries she hosted at Rideau Hall included

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

Queen Juliana Juliana (; Juliana Louise Emma Marie Wilhelmina; 30 April 1909 – 20 March 2004) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 until her abdication in 1980. Juliana was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Sh ...

and

Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...

."OBITUARY -- LILIAS EVVA MASSEY: Governor General's daughter-in-law was official hostess at Rideau Hall". ''

'', January 22, 1997.

Later life

After Vincent Massey stepped down as Governor General, Lionel and Lilias returned to Batterwood House. Following Lionel's death in 1965, Lilias returned to Ottawa, where she lived until her death in 1997.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Massey, Lilias Canadian viceregal consorts Canadian socialites 1918 births 1997 deaths People from Ottawa People from Northumberland County, Ontario

Lilias Massey Lilias Evva Massey (formerly Van Buskirk; ;"Mrs. Lionel Massey Leads Busy Social Life". ''Ottawa Citizen'', May 14, 1954. 1918 – January 19, 1997) was a Canadian dignitary, who served as châtelaine of Rideau Hall during her father-in-law Vincen ...