Named after Sir John Sherbrooke, Governor General of Canada from 1816 to 1818, Rue Sherbrooke is probably the city’s most elegant thoroughfare. It is the spine of the city and the location of many major museums and institutions. On Rue Sherbrooke, the McCord Museum of Canadian History has an outstanding collection of exhibits on Canada’s social history, especially native peoples such as the Inuit and Pacific Coast First Nations. The Musée des Beaux Arts is the oldest museum in Canada and houses vast collections of painting, sculpture, and new media. Not far from the museum is the extensive campus of McGill University.