George Joseph Gustave Masson, was an English-born educational writer with a French father and an English mother.
Background
He was born in London on 9 March 1819. His father had served under Napoleon I, and survived the retreat from Moscow. His mother was of English origin.
Gustave was educated at Tours, was exempted from military service as eldest son of a widow, and was awarded the diploma of "Bachelier es Lettres" by the University of France on 8 August 1837.
Career
After some ten years of literary struggle in Paris, he came to England as tutor to the two sons of Captain Trotter of the Woodlands, Harrow, and was in 1855 appointed by Doctor Vaughan, headmaster of Harrow School, French master there. He proved himself a good organiser, and took a prominent part in the life of the school. He was from 1869 Vaughan librarian and published a catalogue.
Masson was an author and translator on a large scale, writing many books on French literature and history, and editing with much success numerous French classics for English students.
He was at the same time a frequent contributor to the Athenæum, and supplied the notes on French literature to the Saturday Review from soon after its foundation until 1880. He gave up his Harrow mastership in the autumn of 1888, and died a few weeks later on 29 August at Ewhurst, Surrey, while on a visit to Sir Henry Doulton.
He was buried in Harrow churchyard.