Robert R. Ness

Robert R. Ness was a Canadian breeder, importer and exporter of Ayrshire cattle who became Canada's largest dealer in purebred cattle. Born in Howick, Quebec in 1872, he served as president of the Canadian Ayrshire Breeders Association in 1909 and as director of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair from 1923 to 1935, work that placed him at the center of the country's purebred livestock trade for decades. He was also appointed to the Legislative Council of Quebec for Inkerman in 1942, sitting as a Liberal until his removal from office in 1960 for absenteeism. He was inducted into the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1962.