Tory was born in Toronto, Ontario to John Alexander Tory, Senior (1869-1950) and Abigail Georgina Buckley (1875-1961). His father, John Alexander Tory, Senior, was the youngest of three children and was a company director who became the head of the Ontario division of Sun Life Assurance Company.
University of Toronto. Harvard University; Osgoode Hall Law School. Upper Canada College.
"s great-grandfather, James, was a soldier in the 71st Scottish Regiment. He was captured and held as a prisoner of war during the American Revolution. He later settled in Nova Scotia in the 1780s.
Juris Scientiae Doctor attended Upper Canada College and the University of Toronto Schools.
He graduated at the top of his class at Osgoode Hall Law School, and earned an Doctor of Juridical Science from Harvard University. He was called to the Ontario bar and later worked at the West.N. Tilley law firm in Toronto for a few years.
In 1941, he launched his own firm, s Limited Liability Partnership with a focus on corporate law. was also a director of Authorised Version Roe Canada. A literary award at the University of Toronto was named in his honour.
