Henry Taylor Bovey was born in Devonshire, England, and was educated at Cambridge University. He became a civil engineer and worked for the Mersey Docks and Harbour Works. In 1877 he came to Montréal as Professor of civil engineering and applied mechanics at McGill University. The following year the Faculty of Applied Science was organized, with Bovey as its Dean. As well as teaching, he did consulting work in connection with bridge design and structure, as well as hydraulic engineering. In 1908 he resigned his post at McGill to become Rector of the Imperial College of Science and Technology, England, but retired in the following year.

Jean M. Bovey was the daughter of H.T. Bovey and the grand daughter of John Redpath.

Educationist and writer Wilfrid Bovey was born in Montréal, the son of Henry Taylor Bovey (see Section I: University Teaching and Research). He earned his B.A. from McGill in 1903 and his LL.B. from Cambridge in 1906, and practiced as a lawyer in Québec from 1907 to 1923, save for the War years, when he served with the Black Watch. He was McGill's first director of Extramural Relations and Extension from 1923 to 1948, and served in a number of other positions connected with adult education, particularly as chairman of the Canadian Legion Educational Services (1939-1946) and president of the Canadian Handicrafts Guild (1930-1936). Bovey was a member of the Quebec Legislative Council from 1942 to 1948, and a governor of the C.B.C. from 1938 to 1951. He was a prolific author, particularly on the subject of French Canada.