Carlton C. Massey

Carlton Coleman Massey (August 12, 1907 - March 27, 1981) was the Fairfax County Executive from March, 1952 to March, 1971.

Born in Post Oak, Virginia, Massey was one of several children of James and Mattie Briscoe Massey.

Massey graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute with honors in 1928, and took a position as city engineer for Fredericksburg, Virginia. He was appointed town manager of Salem, Virginia in 1938, and took over as the county manager for Henrico County, Virginia, in 1943.

With the adoption of the county executive form of government in Fairfax County by voters in 1951, Massey was appointed to the newly-created position of Fairfax County Executive on January 1, 1952, and took office on March 1.

In September 1970, Massey told the board of Supervisors that he intended to leave the post he had held for nearly 19 years to help care for his wife, who was ill. Originally intending to leave in January, Massey was convinced to extend his retirement to March, and retired from the county on March 15, 1971.

Massey moved to Cape Coral, Florida in September 1980. He was killed in a traffic crash in Palm Dale, Florida, when a truck struck the car he was driving on March 27, 1981.

Honors and Tributes
The Massey Building in Fairfax, which currently houses the administrative offices for the county's police and fire and rescue services, was renamed for Massey on March 15, 1971.