History of the Office

The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell

29^th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario.
September 23, 2014, to November 14, 2023.

The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell is the 29th lieutenant governor of Ontario and is the longest-serving lieutenant governor in the history of the province. As the representative of His Majesty The King, Ms. Dowdeswell carried out constitutional and ceremonial duties and facilitated healthy citizen and community engagement.

Ms. Dowdeswell has served the public interest in all orders of government and in the private sector. She contributed globally as under-secretary-general of the United Nations and executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme. In Canada, her diverse portfolios have ranged from education and culture to the environment and the management of complex public enquiries. She was the founding president and CEO of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization, and later the president and CEO of the Council of Canadian Academies. She has served on the boards of Canadian and international corporate and non-profit organizations.

After taking office in late 2014, Ms. Dowdeswell challenged Ontarians to think deeply about their roles not just as residents of a province, but as global citizens. Her mandate focused on building resilience and sustainability through inclusive economic prosperity, environmental stewardship, and social cohesion, as well as safeguarding democracy.

Ms. Dowdeswell has a bachelor of science in home economics and a teaching certificate from the University of Saskatchewan, as well as a master of science in behavioural sciences from Utah State University. She is an Officer of the Order of Canada, a Member of the Order of Ontario, and the recipient of numerous distinctions and fellowships. She holds 12 honorary doctorates.

View Ms. Dowdeswell’s End of Mandate Report and the Activity Reports published during Ms. Dowdeswell time in office

The Honourable David C. Onley

28th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
September 5, 2007 to September 23, 2014

The Honourable David C. Onley was appointed Ontario’s 28th lieutenant governor following a distinguished career as a broadcaster.

Mr. Onley championed disability issues for many years, having served as chair of the Accessibility Standards Advisory Council of the Government of Ontario and as an accessibility council member for the Rogers Centre and the Air Canada Centre.

As Ontario’s first lieutenant governor with a physical disability, Mr. Onley adopted accessibility as the overarching theme of his mandate. He defined accessibility as “that which enables people to achieve their full potential,” believing that true accessibility occurs when disabled people can fully participate in the social, cultural, and economic life of Ontario.

Because accessibility includes equal access to opportunities such as education, Mr. Onley expanded the Aboriginal Youth Literacy Initiative to include computer literacy programs.

Mr. Onley was born in Midland, Ontario, grew up in Scarborough, and has been inducted into the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame and the Scarborough Walk of Fame. He served as colonel of the Regiment of the Queen’s York Rangers (1st American Regiment) in his capacity of lieutenant governor, and personally as honorary colonel of 25 Field Ambulance. He was the recipient of the Rick Hansen Award of Excellence, the Courage to Come Back Award, and held 11 honorary degrees.

Mr. Onley passed away in January of 2023.

View Mr. Onley’s end of mandate report (PDF 2.84 MB)

The Honourable James K. Bartleman

27th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
March 7, 2002 to September 5, 2007

Born on December 24, 1939 in Orillia, James Bartleman grew up in the Muskoka town of Port Carling, and is a member of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation. Mr. Bartleman earned a bachelor of arts (honours) in history from the University of Western Ontario in 1963. On a posting to Brussels, he met Marie-Jeanne Rosillon. The couple married in 1975 and have three children: Anne-Pascale, Laurent, and Alain.

Upon his installation as lieutenant governor in March 2002, Mr. Bartleman became a member of the Order of Ontario. He was promoted to Knight of Justice in the Order of St. John in 2002, and received a National Aboriginal Achievement Award for public service in 1999. He received the Dr. Hugh Lefave Award (2003) and the Courage to Come Back Award (2004) for his efforts to reduce the stigma of mental illness.

Mr. Bartleman identified three key priorities during his mandate as lieutenant governor: to eliminate the stigma of mental illness, to fight racism and discrimination, and to encourage Indigenous young people. In 2004, he launched the first Lieutenant Governor’s Book Drive, which collected 1.2 million good used books for First Nations schools and Native Friendship Centres throughout Ontario. To further encourage literacy and bridge-building, he launched in 2005 a twinning program for Native and non-Native schools in Ontario and Nunavut, and established literacy summer camps in five northern First Nations communities as a pilot project. In 2006, he extended the literacy summer camp program to 28 fly-in communities, securing funding for five years, and also launched Club Amick, a reading club for Indigenous children in Ontario’s North. In the winter of 2007, he completed a second book drive, collecting 900,000 books for Indigenous children in Ontario, northern Québec and Nunavut.

Mr. Bartleman passed away in August 2023.

The Honourable Hilary M. Weston

26th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
January 24, 1997 to March 7, 2002.

Hilary Weston was installed as lieutenant governor of Ontario on January 24, 1997. Prior to serving in public office, Mrs. Weston was deputy chair of Holt Renfrew (1986-96) and participated in the charitable activities of the W. Garfield Weston Foundation. She also founded the Ireland Fund of Canada and is coauthor of two books: In a Canadian Garden and At Home in Canada. Born in Ireland, Mrs. Weston came to Canada in 1972.

Ontario’s 40th lieutenant governor since John Graves Simcoe arrived in 1792, she is only the second woman to have been appointed to the viceregal role in the province. Mrs. Weston served during an unprecedented time when the Governor General and seven Canadian lieutenant governors were female. She completed five years and 41 days in office until March 7, 2002.

At her installation, the lieutenant governor made a commitment to focus on celebrating volunteers, youth, and women. As Mrs. Weston’s mandate coincided with the new millennium, she continually explored new ways of making the role more contemporary, accessible, and relevant to Ontarians. As part of this effort, she instigated several new initiatives.

She created the Lieutenant Governor’s Community Volunteer Awards to honour unsung heroes in the community and student volunteers. She donated her salary as lieutenant governor to the Hilary M. Weston Foundation for Youth, which funded initiatives such as the First Connection program to provide business internships for 88 Ontario students and job training for street youth. Mrs. Weston was the first lieutenant governor to hold major holiday celebrations in communities outside the capital in alternating years. She also initiated exhibitions of contemporary Ontario art in the Lieutenant Governor’s Suite, in partnership with leading arts organizations.

Mrs. Weston wrote of her experiences as lieutenant governor in No Ordinary Time (PDF, 12 MB).

View Mrs. Weston’s end of mandate report

Colonel the Honourable Henry N. R. “Hal” Jackman

25th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
December 11, 1991 to January 24, 1997

Henry Newton Rowell “Hal” Jackman, served as the 25th lieutenant governor of Ontario from 1991 to 1997. Born in Toronto on June 10, 1932, he is the son of former MP Harry Jackman and philanthropist Mary Rowell Jackman. His mother was the daughter of another former MP, Newton Wesley Rowell. His sister, Nancy Ruth, is a philanthropist who was appointed to the Senate in 2005.

Jackman was educated at Pickering College, the University of Toronto Schools, Upper Canada College (where he was a member of Jackson’s House), the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, and the London School of Economics.

He was chairman of the board of National Trust Company and the Empire Life Insurance Company, plus several other prominent Canadian corporations. In 1964 he married Maruja Trinidad Duncan. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 1991, the same year as his installation as lieutenant governor.

During his tenure as lieutenant governor, he focused on supporting the arts, history, and national unity. Mr. Jackman served until 1997, was appointed to the Order of Ontario in 1998, and was promoted to Officer of the Order of Canada in the year 2000.​

Colonel the Honourable Lincoln M. Alexander

24th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
September 20, 1985 to December 11, 1991

When Lincoln Alexander entered the Lieutenant Governor’s Suite for the first time in 1985, he might have paused for just a moment. He was, after all, about to enter not just a new and imposing office, but also an important phase of his own life—and in Ontario’s history.

He was a man accustomed to breaking new ground: he became the first Black person installed as the Queen’s representative in Ontario. Born in 1922 in Toronto, he was the son of West Indian immigrants—his father a railway porter and his mother a maid. Alexander served with the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. In 1948, he married Yvonne Harrison, who remained a pillar of strength for her extraordinary husband until her death in 1999.

Alexander was educated at McMaster University, and went on to study law at Osgoode Hall. Elected as an MP for Hamilton West in 1968, he was Canada’s first Black person elected to the House of Commons. He remained there for 12 years. He made history again in his final year in Parliament, when he became Canada’s first Black cabinet minister, having been appointed minister of labour.

As lieutenant governor—a post he held for more than six years—Alexander continued his pioneering ways. The first person of colour to be named to Ontario’s viceregal role, he focused on youth and education as a key part of his mandate. An awards program was established in his name, for young people who demonstrate leadership in combating discrimination and racism within their school or community.

Writing in the Financial Post at the time of Alexander’s appointment, journalist Peter Worthington said, “He can do more for the mixture of people that is modern Ontario than any legislation can. This Canadian-born son of a railway porter has been his own man during the first 63 years of his life. Lincoln Alexander is the Jackie Robinson of Canadian politics. It’s a proud moment for both him and Canada.”

Alexander was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1992. Four years later in 1996, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien appointed Alexander chair of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation. Numerous awards and schools have been named in his honour.

An inspiration and outstanding role model, Alexander was a human rights visionary whose impact, in word and deed, will continue to echo throughout Ontario and Canada for generations to come. He died in 2012.​​​

Captain (N) the Honourable John B. Aird

23rd Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
September 15, 1980 to September 20, 1985

Born in Toronto in 1923, the grandson of Canadian war financier Sir John Aird, John Black Aird was educated at Upper Canada College, Trinity College, and Osgoode Hall. He practised law in Toronto, heading his own firm from 1974. During the Second World War, he served in the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve, and in 1944 he married Lucille Housser. From 1964 to 1974, he served as a senator, and in 1971, he served as chairman of the Canada–United States Permanent Joint Board on Defence. From 1977 to 1985, he was chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo. Mr. Aird was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada, and served as lieutenant governor of Ontario from 1980 to 1985. The main focus of his mandate was Ontarians with disabilities. He authored the book Loyalty In A Changing World, a look at the contemporary function of the lieutenant governor. Mr. Aird was appointed to the Order of Ontario in 1987, and in 1993, he was promoted to Companion in the Order of Canada. He died in Toronto in 1995.

The Honourable Pauline M. McGibbon

22nd Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
April 10, 1974 to September 15, 1980

​Born in Sarnia in 1910, Pauline Mills studied at the University of Toronto and later worked with community and national organizations such as the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire, where she served as national president. In 1935, she married Donald McGibbon. Mrs. McGibbon served as chancellor of the universities of Toronto and Guelph, chair of the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, and was a director of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1967. In 1974, she was sworn in as the first female lieutenant governor of Ontario, holding office until 1980. A particular focus of her mandate was the arts in Ontario. After leaving office, Mrs. McGibbon was promoted to be a Companion in the Order of Canada, and was appointed to the Order of Ontario. Mrs. McGibbon died in Toronto in 2001.​​​​

The Honourable William R. Macdonald

21st Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
July 4, 1968 to April 10, 1974

Born in Toronto in 1891, Macdonald studied law at the University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall. He practised law in Brantford, and served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force from 1914 to 1918. In 1921, he married Muriel Whittaker. Macdonald was an MP from 1935 to 1953, and served as solicitor general, deputy Speaker of the House, and later as Speaker of the House of Commons. He became a senator in 1953, and served as Government leader in the Senate. Macdonald served as lieutenant governor of Ontario from 1968 to 1974. He was involved with many service groups, such as the Canadian Order of Foresters and the Kiwanis Club. He died in Toronto in 1976.​​​

The Honourable William E. Rowe

20th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
May 1, 1963 to July 4, 1968

​William Earl Rowe was born in Iowa of Canadian parents in 1894. He later moved to Ontario and was a farmer and cattle breeder. Rowe served as an MPP from 1923 to 1925, and was then elected to the House of Commons, where he served until 1935. In 1937, he was re-elected and served until 1958. Rowe was lieutenant governor of Ontario from 1963 to 1968. A champion and supporter of agriculture and rural affairs, he died in 1984 at Newton Robinson, Ontario.​​

The Honourable John K. MacKay

19th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
December 30, 1957 to May 1, 1963

​John Keiller MacKay was born in 1888 in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, and was educated at St Francis Xavier University, the Royal Military College, and Dalhousie University. During the First World War, MacKay won the Distinguished Service Order. He was called to the Nova Scotia bar in 1922, and became a member a law firm in Toronto until his appointment to the Supreme Court of Ontario in 1935. He was appointed to the Court of Appeal in 1950. MacKay served as lieutenant governor of Ontario from 1957 to 1963, and opened the Lieutenant Governor’s New Year’s Levee to the general public for the first time. He died in Toronto in 1970.​​​

The Honourable Louis O. Breithaupt

18 Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
February 18, 1952 to December 30, 1957

​Louis Breithaupt was born in 1869 in Berlin (later Kitchener), Ontario, and was educated at the University of Toronto. He rose to become head of his family’s leather business in Kitchener. He was an MP from 1940 to 1952. Breithaupt was appointed lieutenant governor of Ontario in 1952 and served until 1957. He was active in many service groups, such as the YMCA and Rotary Club. He became chancellor of Victoria University in 1959, and died in Toronto in 1960.​​

The Honourable Ray Lawson

17th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
December 26, 1946 to February 18, 1952

​Born in 1886 in London, Ontario, Ray Lawson became head of a lithographic firm in Toronto and a company director. In 1909 he married Helen Newton. Lawson served as lieutenant governor from 1946 to 1952. He brought much energy and warmth to the office, and travelled widely around Ontario. Lawson later served as Canadian Consul General to the United States in New York from 1953 to 1955. He died in 1980.​​

The Honourable Albert E. Matthews

16th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
November 30, 1937 to December 26, 1946

​Born in 1873 in Lindsay, Ontario, Albert Matthews became an investment broker in Toronto, and later a company director. He was chairman of McMaster University in Hamilton. Matthews served as lieutenant governor of Ontario from 1937 to 1946. During his time in office, he did little entertaining and gave vast sums of money to charities to help ease the burden of the Great Depression. Matthews died in Windermere, Ontario, in 1949.​​

Colonel the Honourable Herbert A. Bruce

15th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
October 25, 1932 to November 30, 1937

Herbert Bruce was born in 1868 near Port Perry, Ontario, and was educated at the University of Toronto and in Paris, Berlin, and Vienna. A doctor by profession, he practised in Toronto. When the First World War broke out, he served in the medical corps and rose to the rank of inspector general, but was relieved of his post in 1916 after submitting a controversial report. Colonel Bruce was a founder of Wellesley Hospital and a professor of surgery at the University of Toronto. He was appointed lieutenant governor in 1932, and served until 1937. Government House was closed at the end of his term by Premier Mitchell Hepburn, and henceforth the lieutenant governor and staff have been based at a suite at Queen’s Park. Colonel Bruce served as an MP from 1940 to 1946. He authored several medical books, and died in Toronto in 1963.​

The Honourable William D. Ross

14th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
December 30, 1926 to October 25, 1932

​Born in 1869 in Bras d’Or, Nova Scotia, William Donald Ross worked with the Bank of Nova Scotia and rose to become director. He later became general manager of the Metropolitan Bank of Toronto. Ross served as lieutenant governor from 1926 to 1932, giving time, effort, and resources to maintain the dignity of the office during the Great Depression. He died in Toronto in 1947.​​

Colonel the Honourable Henry Cockshutt

13th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
September 10, 1921 to December 30, 1926

​Henry Cockshutt was born in Brantford, Ontario, in 1868. He entered his family’s plow company, and served as its president from 1911 to 1934. In 1896, he married Anna Rolls. He was mayor of Brantford from 1899 to 1900. During the First World War, Colonel Cockshutt organized and commanded the 215th Infantry Battalion. He served as lieutenant governor from 1921 to 1926, during which time he opened Government House to the public and allowed charitable organizations to use its rooms for meetings. A prominent businessman, he used his connections to encourage development in northern Ontario. Colonel Cockshutt died in 1944.​​

The Honourable Lionel H. Clarke

12th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
November 27, 1919 to August 29, 1921

​Lionel Clarke was born in 1857 in Guelph, and was the son of a doctor. He was educated at Trinity College School and the University of Edinburgh. In 1891, he married Anne Small. Clarke was a businessman in Palmerston before entering the grain trade in Toronto. He became the chairman of Canadian Malting Company, president of the Board of Grain Supervisors, chairman of the Toronto Harbour Commission, and a member of the Niagara Falls Park Commission. Clarke was appointed lieutenant governor of Ontario in 1919, and was a champion for public education and literacy. He died in office in 1921.​​

The Honourable Sir John S. Hendrie

11th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
September 26, 1914 to November 27, 1919

​John Hendrie was born in 1857 in Hamilton, and was educated at Upper Canada College. He became a railway contractor and promoted the Hamilton Bridge Works. In 1885, he married Lena Henderson. An MPP from 1902 to 1914, he held the positions of minister without portfolio and hydro-electric commissioner. He also commanded the 2nd Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery. Hendrie was appointed lieutenant governor of Ontario in 1914, serving until 1919. Much of his time in office was spent helping the war effort and hosting soldiers, seamen, and dignitaries at Government House. He was knighted in 1915, and died in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1923.​​

The Honourable Sir John M. Gibson

10th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
September 22, 1908 to September 26, 1914

​Born in 1842 in Toronto, the son of Scottish immigrants, John Morison Gibson was educated at the University of Toronto. In 1860 he joined the provincial militia and was a Wimbledon marksman in 1874. He became a company director and developed a keen interest in music and art. He was a MPP from 1879 to 1905 and held the posts of provincial secretary, commissioner of Crown lands, and attorney general. Gibson was appointed lieutenant governor of Ontario in 1908, and was knighted in 1912. During his mandate, the new Government House in Chorley Park (now demolished) was completed. Gibson served as lieutenant governor until 1914. He was active in many charities, especially the Red Cross and child welfare. He died in Hamilton in 1929.​​

The Honourable Sir William M. Clark

9th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
April 20, 1903 to September 22, 1908

Born in 1836 in Aberdeen, Scotland, William Clark was educated at Marischal College and the University of Edinburgh. He came to Canada in 1859, and was called to the bar of Upper Canada in 1861. A prominent social activist, he became a bank director and authored a number of articles on travel. In 1866 he married Helen Gordon. Clarke was appointed lieutenant governor of Ontario in 1903. He supported education and hospitals during his mandate, and served until 1908. He died in 1917 in Prouts Neck, Maine.​

The Honourable Sir Oliver Mowat

8th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
November 18, 1897 to April 19, 1903

​Oliver Mowat was born in 1820 in Kingston. He was called to the bar in 1841, and served as a MPP from 1857 to 1896. He held the posts of provincial secretary, postmaster general and premier (1872–96). He was knighted in 1892, and upon his retirement from the legislature, served as a senator from 1896 to 1897. Mowat was appointed lieutenant governor of Ontario in 1897, and died in office in 1903. A devout Christian, Mowat was the author of several religious books and served as an executive in a variety of religious organizations.​​

The Honourable Sir George A. Kirkpatrick

7th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
May 30, 1892 to November 18, 1897

Born in 1841 in Kingston, George Kirkpatrick was educated at Trinity College, Dublin. He was called to the bar in 1865 and served as an MP from 1870 to 1892. In 1865, he married Frances Macauley, and after her death, married Isabel Macpherson in 1883. With the death of his father, the MP for Frontenac, Kirkpatrick succeeded him in the House of Commons. He served until 1892, when he was appointed lieutenant governor of Ontario. During his time in office, Kirkpatrick made a special effort to visit and support the rural areas of the province. He served until 1897, and was knighted the same year. He died in Toronto in 1899.​​

The Honourable Sir Alexander Campbell

6th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
June 1, 1887 to May 24, 1892

​Born in 1822 in Hedon, Yorkshire, the son of a doctor, Alexander Campbell came to Canada in infancy. He lived in Montréal, Lachine, and Kingston. Educated at College de Saint-Hyacinthe and Kingston Grammar School, he was called to the bar in 1843. He was a law partner of Sir John A. Macdonald in Kingston. In 1856, he married Georgina Sandwith. Alexander Campbell became a member of the Legislative Council in 1858, and held the positions of Speaker and commissioner of Crown lands. He became a senator in 1867 and served as postmaster general, minister of the interior, leader of the Opposition (1878–87), and as minister without portfolio in Macdonald’s cabinet from 1878 to 1887. In 1887, Campbell was appointed lieutenant governor of Ontario. A tireless promoter of education, he died in office in 1892.​​

The Honourable John B. Robinson

5th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
June 30, 1880 to June 1, 1887

Born in 1821 in York (later Toronto), the second son of Sir John Beverley Robinson, the younger Robinson was educated at Upper Canada College. He served as aide-de-camp to Sir Francis Bond Head, lieutenant governor of Upper Canada, and assisted in suppressing the Rebellion of 1837. Robinson was called to the bar of Upper Canada in 1844, and became mayor of Toronto in 1857. He served as an MPP from 1858 to 1867, and became an MP in 1867, where he held the position of president of the Privy Council. Robinson was appointed lieutenant governor of Ontario in 1880, and served until 1887. During his mandate, he welcomed people from a variety of backgrounds to Government House, and his sympathetic nature earned him the respect of the public. He died in Toronto in 1896.​

The Honourable Donald A. Macdonald

4th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
May 18, 1875 to June 30, 1880

Born in 1817 in St Raphael’s, Ontario, Donald Alexander Macdonald studied at St Raphael’s College under the first Catholic bishop of Ontario, Alexander Macdonell. He became a railway contractor and was elected as a member of the Assembly of Upper Canada from 1857 to 1867. He was an MP from 1867 to 1875, and served as postmaster general. In 1875, Macdonald was appointed lieutenant governor of Ontario and held that post until 1880. He died in Montréal in 1896.​​

The Honourable John W. Crawford

3rd Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
November 12, 1873 to May 13, 1875
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Born in 1817 in Manorhamilton, County Leitrim, Ireland, John Crawford came to Canada as a child when his family settled in Brockville. He married Helen Sherwood of Toronto. A lawyer by profession, Crawford served as president of the Royal Canadian Bank and was solicitor for the Grand Trunk Railway. Crawford was the MP for East Toronto from 1861 to 1863. He then served as an MP from 1867 to 1873, and supported representation by population. On the day his government resigned in 1873, Sir John A. Macdonald appointed Crawford lieutenant governor of Ontario. Crawford died in office in 1875.​​

The Honourable Sir William P. Howland

2nd Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
July 14, 1868 to November 12, 1873
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Born in 1811 in Pawling, New York, William Howland was educated at Kinderhook Academy. In 1830, he settled in Cooksville, Upper Canada, and became a naturalized British subject in 1841. He operated Lambton Mills and later a grocery business in Toronto. In 1857, Mr. Howland became a member of the Legislative Assembly of the province of Canada, and later served in the cabinet as minister of finance, receiver general, and postmaster general. After Confederation, he became an MP in 1867, and was minister of inland revenue from 1867 to 1868. Mr. Howland was appointed Ontario’s second lieutenant governor in 1868 and served until 1873. He was knighted in 1879, and died in Toronto in 1907.​​

Major General the Honourable Henry Stisted

1st Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
July 1, 1867–July 14, 1868

Born in 1817 in St-Omer, France, to a British army officer and his wife, Henry Stisted studied at Sandhurst, and entered the British Army in 1835. He served in Afghanistan and Persia, and was in the advance guard of Havelock’s force at the relief of Lucknow in 1857. He was appointed major general in 1864, and divisional commander of British forces in Canada in 1866. General Stisted became the first lieutenant governor of Ontario in 1867, serving until 1868. He was instrumental in opening up the northern part of the province for development. He was knighted in 1871, and married Maria Burton, daughter of explorer Sir Richard Burton, in 1845. He died in Upper Norwood, Surrey, in 1875.