List of lieutenant governors of Ontario

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. 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	File:ColonelSimcoe.jpg	John Graves Simcoe (1752–1806)	1791	1798	George III (1760–1820)
–	File:Peter Russell Portrait.jpg	Peter Russell (1733–1808) Administrator of the Government	1796	1799
2		Peter Hunter (1746–1805)	1799	1805
–		Alexander Grant (1734–1813) Administrator of the Government	1805	1806
3	File:Francis Gore Portrait.jpg	Francis Gore (1769–1852)	1806	1817
–	File:Major General Sir Isaac Brock.jpg	Sir Isaac Brock Template:Post-nominals (1769–1812) Acting	1811	1812
–	File:Mather Brown - Portrait of Sir Roger Hale Sheaffe Bt c1790 (oil on canvas).jpg	Sir Roger Hale Sheaffe 1st Baronet (1763–1851) Acting	1812	1813
–		Sir Francis de Rottenburg Baron of Rottenburg (1757–1832) Acting	1813	1813
–	File:Gordon Drummond.jpg	Sir Gordon Drummond (1772–1854) Acting	1813	1814
–	File:George Murray Portrait.jpg	Sir George Murray Template:Post-nominals (1772–1846) Acting	1815	1815
–	File:Frederick Philipse Robinson Portrait.jpg	Sir Frederick Philipse Robinson Template:Post-nominals (1763–1852) Acting	1815	1815
–	File:Samuel Smith.png	Samuel Smith (1756–1826) Administrator of the Government	1817	1818
4	File:Peregrine Maitland Portrait.jpg	Sir Peregrine Maitland Template:Post-nominals (1777–1854)	1818	1828
					George IV (1820–1830)
5	File:John Colborne.jpg	Sir John Colborne Template:Post-nominals (1778–1863)	1828	1836
					William IV (1830–1837)
6	File:Francis Bond Head.jpg	Sir Francis Bond Head Template:Post-nominals (1778–1863)	1836	1838
					Victoria (1837–1901)
7	File:Major-General Sir George Arthur.jpg	Sir George Arthur Template:Post-nominals (1778–1863)	1838	1839
8	File:Lord Sydenham.jpg	Charles Poulett Thomson 1st Baron Sydenham Template:Post-nominals (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	File:Henry William Stisted Portrait.jpg	Henry William Stisted Template:Post-nominals (1817–1875)	1 July 1867	14 July 1868	Victoria (1837–1901)	John Sandfield Macdonald (1867–1871)
2	File:WilliamPearceHowland23.jpg	William Pearce Howland Template:Post-nominals (1811–1907)	15 July 1868	11 November 1873
						Edward Blake (1871–1872)
						Sir Oliver Mowat (1872–1896)
3	File:JohnWilloughbyCrawford23.jpg	John Willoughby Crawford Template:Post-nominals (1817–1875)	12 November 1873	13 May 1875
–	File:William Buell Richards.jpg	Sir William Buell Richards Template:Post-nominals (1815–1889) Administrator of the Government	13 May 1875	18 May 1875
4	File:DonaldAlexanderMacdonald23.jpg	Donald Alexander Macdonald Template:Post-nominals (1817–1896)	18 May 1875	30 June 1880
5	File:John Beverley Robinson.png	John Beverley Robinson (1821–1896)	1 July 1880	31 May 1887
6	File:Sir Alexander Campbell.jpg	Sir Alexander Campbell Template:Post-nominals (1822–1892)	1 June 1887	24 May 1892
–	File:John Hawkins Hagarty.png	John Hawkins Hagarty (1816–1900) Administrator of the Government	24 May 1892	30 May 1892
7	File:GeorgeAireyKirkpatrick23.jpg	George Airey Kirkpatrick Template:Post-nominals (1841–1899)	30 May 1892	7 November 1896
						Arthur Sturgis Hardy (1896–1899)
–	File:Kazimierz Gzowski.jpg	Sir Casimir Gzowski Template:Post-nominals (1813–1898) Administrator of the Government	{7 November 1896	18 November 1897
8	File:Lieutenant Governor the Honourable Sir Oliver Mowat Photo B (HS85-10-13453).jpg	Sir Oliver Mowat Template:Post-nominals (1820–1903)	18 November 1897	19 April 1903
						Sir George William Ross (1899–1905)
					Edward VII (1901–1910)
–	File:Charles Moss 1902.jpg	Sir Charles Moss (1840–1912) Administrator of the Government	19 April 1903	21 April 1903
9	File:William-Mortimer-Clark.png	Sir William Mortimer Clark Template:Post-nominals (1836–1915)	21 April 1903	21 September 1908
						Sir James Whitney (1905–1914)
10	File:John Morison Gibson (close up).jpg	Sir John Morison Gibson Template:Post-nominals (1842–1929)	21 September 1908	26 September 1914
					George V (1910–1936)
11	File:John Strathearn Hendrie.jpg	Sir John Strathearn Hendrie Template:Post-nominals (1857–1923)	26 September 1914	20 November 1919		Sir William Howard Hearst (1914–1919)
						Ernest Charles Drury (1919–1923)
12	File:L. H. Clarke 1920.jpg	Lionel Herbert Clarke (1859–1921)	20 November 1919	29 August 1921
–	File:William Ralph Meredith.png	Sir William Ralph Meredith Template:Post-nominals (1840–1923) Administrator of the Government	29 August 1921	10 September 1921
13	File:Henry Cockshutt.jpg	Henry Cockshutt (1868–1944)	10 September 1921	12 January 1927
						Howard Ferguson (1923–1930)
14	File:William Donald Ross.jpg	William Donald Ross (1869–1947)	12 January 1927	25 October 1931
						George Stewart Henry (1930–1934)
–	File:WilliamMulock.jpeg	Sir William Mulock Template:Post-nominals (1843–1944) Administrator of the Government	25 October 1931	1 November 1932
15	File:Herbert Alexander Bruce.jpg	Herbert Alexander Bruce (1868–1963)	1 November 1932	23 November 1937
						Mitchell Hepburn (1934–1942)
					Edward VIII (1936)
					George VI (1936–1952)
16	File:Albert Matthews (cropped).jpg	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	File:Ray Lawson.jpg	Ray Lawson Template:Post-nominals (1886–1980)	26 December 1946	18 February 1952
						Thomas Laird Kennedy (1948–1949)
						Leslie Frost (1949–1961)
					Elizabeth II (1952–2022)
18	File:Badge of the Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario.svg	Louis Orville Breithaupt (1890–1960)	18 February 1952	30 December 1957
19	File:Official Portrait of the 19th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, John Keiller MacKay, by Moshe Matus.jpg	John Keiller MacKay Template:Post-nominals (1880–1970)	30 December 1957	1 May 1963
						John Robarts (1961–1971)
20	File:William Earl Rowe.jpg	William Earl Rowe Template:Post-nominals (1894–1984)	1 May 1963	4 July 1968
21	File:William Ross Macdonald.jpg	William Ross Macdonald Template:Post-nominals (1891–1976)	4 July 1968	10 April 1974
						Bill Davis (1971–1985)
22	File:Badge of the Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario.svg	Pauline Mills McGibbon Template:Post-nominals (1910–2001)	10 April 1974	15 September 1980
23	File:Badge of the Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario.svg	John Black Aird Template:Post-nominals (1923–1995)	15 September 1980	20 September 1985
						Frank Miller (1985)
						David Peterson (1985–1990)
24	File:Lincoln Alexander.jpg	Lincoln Alexander Template:Post-nominals (1922–2012)	20 September 1985	10 December 1991
						Bob Rae (1990–1995)
25	File:Badge of the Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario.svg	Hal Jackman Template:Post-nominals (born 1932)	11 December 1991	24 January 1997
						Mike Harris (1995–2002)
26	File:Hilary M. Weston.jpg	Hilary Weston Template:Post-nominals (born 1942)	24 January 1997	7 March 2002
27	File:James Bartleman 2014 (DSC9976) (cropped).jpg	James Bartleman Template:Post-nominals (1939–2023)	7 March 2002	5 September 2007
						Ernie Eves (2002–2003)
						Dalton McGuinty (2003–2013)
28	File:David Onley 2013 (LG 2043) (cropped).jpg	David Onley Template:Post-nominals (1950–2023)	5 September 2007	23 September 2014
						Kathleen Wynne (2013–2018)
29	File:Elizabeth Dowdeswell 2020-01-01 (DSCF0094) (cropped).jpg	Elizabeth Dowdeswell Template:Post-nominals (born 1944)	23 September 2014	14 November 2023
						Doug Ford (since 2018)
					Charles III (since 2022)
30	File:Installation of Edith Dumont in 2023 (cropped 3-4).jpg	Edith Dumont Template:Post-nominals (born 1964)	14 November 2023
Source:

See also

• Office-holders of Canada
• Canadian incumbents by year