List of lieutenant governors of Ontario explained

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

	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 (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 (1772–1846) Acting	1815	1815
–		Sir Frederick Philipse Robinson (1763–1852) Acting	1815	1815
–		Samuel Smith^[7] (1756–1826) Administrator of the Government	1817	1818
4		Sir Peregrine Maitland^[8] (1777–1854)	1818	1828
					George IV (1820–1830)
5		Sir John Colborne^[9] (1778–1863)	1828	1836
					William IV (1830–1837)
6		Sir Francis Bond Head^[10] (1778–1863)	1836	1838
					Victoria (1837–1901)
7		Sir George Arthur^[11] (1778–1863)	1838	1839
8		Charles Poulett Thomson 1st Baron Sydenham^[12] (1799–1841)	1839	1841

Lieutenant governors of Ontario, 1867–present

	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office		Monarch Reign	Premier Tenure
			Took office	Left office
1		Henry William Stisted (1817–1875)	1 July 1867	14 July 1868	Victoria (1837–1901)	John Sandfield Macdonald (1867–1871)
2		William Pearce Howland (1811–1907)	15 July 1868	11 November 1873
						Edward Blake (1871–1872)
						Sir Oliver Mowat (1872–1896)
3		John Willoughby Crawford (1817–1875)	12 November 1873	13 May 1875
–		Sir William Buell Richards (1815–1889) Administrator of the Government	13 May 1875	18 May 1875
4		Donald Alexander Macdonald (1817–1896)	18 May 1875	30 June 1880
5		John Beverley Robinson (1821–1896)	1 July 1880	31 May 1887
6		Sir Alexander Campbell (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 (1841–1899)	30 May 1892	7 November 1896
						Arthur Sturgis Hardy (1896–1899)
–		Sir Casimir Gzowski (1813–1898) Administrator of the Government	See also Office-holders of Canada Canadian incumbents by year External links Web site: History > Vice-Regal Representatives. Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. Queen's Printer for Ontario. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090812225749/http://www.lt.gov.on.ca/en/History/Vice_RegalRepresentatives.asp?nav=7&sub=1. 2009-08-12.

Notes and References

1. https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/const/section-58.html#h-9 Constitution Act, 1867, s. 58.
2. Web site: R. Mealing . Stanley . February 1, 2017 . John Graves Simcoe . February 14, 2020 . The Canadian Encyclopedia.
3. Web site: Firth . Edith G. . 2003 . Biography - RUSSEL, PETER - Volume V . February 14, 2020 . Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
4. Web site: 2003 . Biography - HUNTER, PETER . February 14, 2020 . Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
5. Web site: Whitfield . Carol . 2003 . Biography - GRANT, ALEXANDER . February 14, 2020 . Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
6. Web site: Mealing . S. R. . 2003 . GORE, FRANCIS . February 14, 2020 . Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
7. Web site: Mealing . S. R. . 2003 . Smith, Samuel . February 14, 2020 . Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
8. Web site: Bowsfield . Hartwell . 2003 . MAITLAND, Sir PEREGRINE . February 14, 2020 . Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
9. Web site: Wilson . Alan . 2003 . COLBORNE, JOHN . February 14, 2020 . Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
10. Web site: Wise . S.F. . 2003 . Head, Sir Francis Bond . February 14, 2020 . Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
11. Web site: Buckner . Philip . 2003 . ARTHUR, GEORGE . February 14, 2020 . Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
12. Web site: 2003 . THOMSON, CHARLES EDWARD POULETT . February 14, 2020 . Dictionary of Canadian Biography.