Lieutenant-Governor John Black Aird, OC
Plot 10, Lot 132
Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto
The name John Black Aird was synonymous with integrity. Aird was born in Toronto on May 5, 1923, and married Lucille Housser in 1944. He served as Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario between 1980 and 1985. A corporate lawyer, Aird graduated from Upper Canada College, Trinity College and Osgoode Hall Law School. He served for a decade as a Liberal senator before resigning in 1974. Described as “a man who walked with kings and never lost the common touch,” Aird served as Chancellor of the University of Toronto from 1986-1991; he held six honorary degrees; was honorary colonel of two regiments and served as a Lieutenant in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. Aird helped organize the Kids Help Phone in 1987 and was involved with Variety Village, Metro’s United Way, Canada’s Special Olympics and the Ontario Foundation for Visually Impaired Children. John Black Aird also served on many corporate boards. He died on May 6, 1995 at the age of 72.