James Masson was a lawyer and political figure in Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

. He represented Grey North

Grey North

Grey North was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1968. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867, which divided the County of Grey into two ridings: Grey South and Grey North...

 in the Canadian House of Commons

Canadian House of Commons

The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...

 from 1887 to 1896 as a Conservative

Conservative Party of Canada (historical)

The Conservative Party of Canada has gone by a variety of names over the years since Canadian Confederation. Initially known as the "Liberal-Conservative Party", it dropped "Liberal" from its name in 1873, although many of its candidates continued to use this name.As a result of World War I and the...

 member.

He was born in Seymour Township

Seymour Township, Ontario

Seymour, Ontario is a geographic township and former municipality located in Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada. It is currently part of the Municipality of Trent Hills....

, Canada West, the son of Thomas W.S. Masson, and educated there and in Belleville

Belleville, Ontario

Belleville is a city located at the mouth of the Moira River on the Bay of Quinte in Southern Ontario, Canada, in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. It is the seat of Hastings County, but is politically independent of it. and the centre of the Bay of Quinte Region...

. Masson articled in law with W.H. Penton, was called to the Ontario bar in 1871 and set up practice in Owen Sound

Owen Sound, Ontario

Owen Sound , the county seat of Grey County, is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada...

. In 1878, he married Jessie Morrison. Masson served as Master in Chancery

Court of Chancery

The Court of Chancery was a court of equity in England and Wales that followed a set of loose rules to avoid the slow pace of change and possible harshness of the common law. The Chancery had jurisdiction over all matters of equity, including trusts, land law, the administration of the estates of...

 at Owen Sound from 1873 to 1885. He was first elected to the House of Commons in the 1887 federal election

Canadian federal election, 1887

The Canadian federal election of 1887 was held on February 22, 1887 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 6th Parliament of Canada.The Conservative Party of Prime Minister Sir John A...

, defeating the incumbent Benjamin Allen

Benjamin Allen (politician)

Benjamin Allen was a Canadian politician and retail merchant.Born in Sligo, Ireland, the son of William Allen who was of English descent, Allen first came to Canada in 1850. He went to Australia in 1852, returning to Canada West in 1856, and settled in Owen Sound. In 1857, he married May Cruthers...

, and was reelected in 1891. He was named Queen's Counsel

Queen's Counsel

Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...

in 1885.