Massey Tractor

Massey Tractor

From Wikipedia

The firm was founded in 1847 in Newcastle, Ontario by Daniel Massey as the Newcastle Foundry and Machine Manufacturing. The company began making some of the world's first mechanical threshers, first by assembling parts from the United States and eventually designing and building their own equipment. The firm was taken over and expanded by Daniel's eldest son Hart Almerrin Massey who renamed it the Massey Manufacturing Co.

The massive collections of factories on King St. Massey expanded the company and began to sell its products internationally. The firm owed much of its success to Canadian tariffs that prevented the larger USA firms from competing in Canada. A labor shortage throughout the country also helped to make the firm's mechanized equipment very attractive.

In 1891, Massey merged with the A. Harris, Son & Co. Ltd. to become Massey-Harris Co. and became the largest agricultural equipment maker in the British Empire. In 1910, the company acquired the Johnson Harvester Company located in Batavia New York, making it one of Canada's first multinational firms. Massey Harris also produced one of the world's first four-wheel drive tractors.

Other members of the family went on to do other accomplishments: Vincent Massey became Governor General of Canada and Raymond Massey became a noted actor in USA films. The Massey family used their fortune to improve the city of Toronto, and many institutions, such as the University of Guelph, University of Toronto, Upper Canada College, Crescent School, Appleby College, Massey Hall and Metropolitan United Church, were partially financed by the Masseys.