The following is a list of lieutenant governors of Ontario and the lieutenant governors of the former colony of Upper Canada. The office of Lieutenant Governor of Ontario was created in 1867, when the Province of Ontario was created upon Confederation.[1] The predecessor office, lieutenant governor of Upper Canada, was a British colonial officer, appointed by the British government to administer the government of the colony, from 1791 to 1841. (Prior to 1791, the territory which is now Ontario was part of the old Province of Quebec, which was administered by the colonial governors of the Province of Quebec.)

In 1841, the two provinces of Upper Canada and Lower Canada were abolished and merged into the new Province of Canada, with a single Parliament and Governor General. Upper Canada was known as Canada West, but did not have a separate government or lieutenant governor. It was simply an administrative division of the Province of Canada.

Prior to Confederation, the lieutenant governors of Upper Canada were either British colonial administrators or British Army officers. The first lieutenant governor of Ontario, General Sir Henry William Stisted, was the last British lieutenant governor. From 1868 onwards, only Canadians were appointed to the position.

Lieutenant governors of Upper Canada, 1791–1841

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death) 		Term of office Monarch
Reign
Took office Left office
1 John Graves Simcoe[2]
(1752–1806) 		1791 1798 George III
(1760–1820)
– Peter Russell[3]
(1733–1808)
Administrator of the Government 		1796 1799
2 Peter Hunter[4]
(1746–1805) 		1799 1805
– Alexander Grant[5]
(1734–1813)
Administrator of the Government 		1805 1806
3 Francis Gore[6]
(1769–1852) 		1806 1817
– Sir Isaac Brock
KB
(1769–1812)
Acting 		1811 1812
– Sir Roger Hale Sheaffe
1st Baronet
(1763–1851)
Acting 		1812 1813
– Sir Francis de Rottenburg
Baron of Rottenburg
(1757–1832)
Acting 		1813 1813
– Sir Gordon Drummond
(1772–1854)
Acting 		1813 1814
– Sir George Murray
GCB, GCH
(1772–1846)
Acting 		1815 1815
– Sir Frederick Philipse Robinson
KCB, GCH
(1763–1852)
Acting 		1815 1815
– Samuel Smith[7]
(1756–1826)
Administrator of the Government 		1817 1818
4 Sir Peregrine Maitland[8]
KCB, GCH
(1777–1854) 		1818 1828
George IV
(1820–1830)
5 Sir John Colborne[9]
GCB, GCMG
(1778–1863) 		1828 1836
William IV
(1830–1837)
6 Sir Francis Bond Head[10]
KCH
(1778–1863) 		1836 1838
Victoria
(1837–1901)
7 Sir George Arthur[11]
KCH
(1778–1863) 		1838 1839
8 Charles Poulett Thomson
1st Baron Sydenham[12]
PC
(1799–1841) 		1839 1841

Lieutenant governors of Ontario, 1867–present

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death) 		Term of office Monarch
Reign 		Premier
Tenure
Took office Left office
1 Henry William Stisted
CB
(1817–1875) 		1 July
1867 		14 July
1868 		Victoria
(1837–1901) 		John Sandfield Macdonald
(1867–1871)
2 William Pearce Howland
PC
(1811–1907) 		15 July
1868 		11 November
1873
Edward Blake
(1871–1872)
Sir Oliver Mowat
(1872–1896)
3 John Willoughby Crawford
QC
(1817–1875) 		12 November
1873 		13 May
1875
– Sir William Buell Richards
PC
(1815–1889)
Administrator of the Government 		13 May
1875 		18 May
1875
4 Donald Alexander Macdonald
PC
(1817–1896) 		18 May
1875 		30 June
1880
5 John Beverley Robinson
(1821–1896) 		1 July
1880 		31 May
1887
6 Sir Alexander Campbell
PC, KCMG, QC
(1822–1892) 		1 June
1887 		24 May
1892
– John Hawkins Hagarty
(1816–1900)
Administrator of the Government 		24 May
1892 		30 May
1892
7 George Airey Kirkpatrick
PC, QC
(1841–1899) 		30 May
1892 		7 November
1896
Arthur Sturgis Hardy
(1896–1899)
– Sir Casimir Gzowski
KCMG
(1813–1898)
Administrator of the Government 		{7 November
1896 		18 November
1897
8 Sir Oliver Mowat
PC, GCMG, QC
(1820–1903) 		18 November
1897 		19 April
1903
Sir George William Ross
(1899–1905)
Edward VII
(1901–1910)
– Sir Charles Moss
(1840–1912)
Administrator of the Government 		19 April
1903 		21 April
1903
9 Sir William Mortimer Clark
KCMG, KC
(1836–1915) 		21 April
1903 		21 September
1908
Sir James Whitney
(1905–1914)
10 Sir John Morison Gibson
KCMG, KC
(1842–1929) 		21 September
1908 		26 September
1914
George V
(1910–1936)
11 Sir John Strathearn Hendrie
KCMG, CVO
(1857–1923) 		26 September
1914 		20 November
1919 		Sir William Howard Hearst
(1914–1919)
Ernest Charles Drury
(1919–1923)
12 Lionel Herbert Clarke
(1859–1921) 		20 November
1919 		29 August
1921
– Sir William Ralph Meredith
QC
(1840–1923)
Administrator of the Government 		29 August
1921 		10 September
1921
13 Henry Cockshutt
(1868–1944) 		10 September
1921 		12 January
1927
Howard Ferguson
(1923–1930)
14 William Donald Ross
(1869–1947) 		12 January
1927 		25 October
1931
George Stewart Henry
(1930–1934)
– Sir William Mulock
PC, KCMG
(1843–1944)
Administrator of the Government 		25 October
1931 		1 November
1932
15 Herbert Alexander Bruce
(1868–1963) 		1 November
1932 		23 November
1937
Mitchell Hepburn
(1934–1942)
Edward VIII
(1936)
George VI
(1936–1952)
16 Albert Edward Matthews
(1873–1949) 		23 November
1937 		26 December
1946
Gordon Daniel Conant
(1942–1943)
Harry Nixon
(1943)
George A. Drew
(1943–1948)
17 Ray Lawson
OBE
(1886–1980) 		26 December
1946 		18 February
1952
Thomas Laird Kennedy
(1948–1949)
Leslie Frost
(1949–1961)
Elizabeth II
(1952–2022)
18 Louis Orville Breithaupt
(1890–1960) 		18 February
1952 		30 December
1957
19 John Keiller MacKay
OC, DSO, VD, QC
(1880–1970) 		30 December
1957 		1 May
1963
John Robarts
(1961–1971)
20 William Earl Rowe
PC
(1894–1984) 		1 May
1963 		4 July
1968
21 William Ross Macdonald
PC, OC, CD, QC
(1891–1976) 		4 July
1968 		10 April
1974
Bill Davis
(1971–1985)
22 Pauline Mills McGibbon
OC
(1910–2001) 		10 April
1974 		15 September
1980
23 John Black Aird
OC, QC
(1923–1995) 		15 September
1980 		20 September
1985
Frank Miller
(1985)
David Peterson
(1985–1990)
24 Lincoln Alexander
PC, OOnt, CD, QC
(1922–2012) 		20 September
1985 		10 December
1991
Bob Rae
(1990–1995)
25 Hal Jackman
CM
(born 1932) 		11 December
1991 		24 January
1997
Mike Harris
(1995–2002)
26 Hilary Weston
OOnt
(born 1942) 		24 January
1997 		7 March
2002
27 James Bartleman
OOnt
(1939–2023) 		7 March
2002 		5 September
2007
Ernie Eves
(2002–2003)
Dalton McGuinty
(2003–2013)
28 David Onley
OOnt
(1950–2023) 		5 September
2007 		23 September
2014
Kathleen Wynne
(2013–2018)
29 Elizabeth Dowdeswell
OC, OOnt
(born 1944) 		23 September
2014 		14 November
2023
Doug Ford
(since 2018)
Charles III
(since 2022)
30 Edith Dumont
OOnt
(born 1964) 		14 November
2023
Source:[13][14]

See also

References

  1. ^ Constitution Act, 1867, s. 58.
  2. ^ R. Mealing, Stanley (1 February 2017). "John Graves Simcoe". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  3. ^ Firth, Edith G. (2003). "Biography - RUSSEL, PETER - Volume V". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  4. ^ "Biography - HUNTER, PETER". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. 2003. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  5. ^ Whitfield, Carol (2003). "Biography - GRANT, ALEXANDER". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  6. ^ Mealing, S. R. (2003). "GORE, FRANCIS". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  7. ^ Mealing, S. R. (2003). "Smith, Samuel". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  8. ^ Bowsfield, Hartwell (2003). "MAITLAND, Sir PEREGRINE". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  9. ^ Wilson, Alan (2003). "COLBORNE, JOHN". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  10. ^ Wise, S.F. (2003). "Head, Sir Francis Bond". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  11. ^ Buckner, Philip (2003). "ARTHUR, GEORGE". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  12. ^ "THOMSON, CHARLES EDWARD POULETT". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. 2003. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
  13. ^ "History - Lieutenant Governor Of Ontario". Lieutenant governor of ontario. 2020.
  14. ^ "Educator Edith Dumont appointed lieutenant-governor for Ontario". www.chch.com. The Canadian Press. 3 August 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.

External links

List of lieutenant governors of Canada (by province or territory)
Politics of Ontario
Categories