Hilary Weston | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait as lieutenant-governor of Ontario, 1997 | |
| 26th Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario | |
| In office January 24, 1997 – March 7, 2002 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governors General | Roméo LeBlanc Adrienne Clarkson |
| Premier | Mike Harris |
| Preceded by | Hal Jackman |
| Succeeded by | James Bartleman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Hilary Mary Frayne (1942-01-12)January 12, 1942 Dún Laoghaire,County Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | August 2, 2025(2025-08-02) (aged 83) London, England |
| Spouse | |
| Children | |
| Occupation |
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Hilary Mary WestonCM CVO OOnt (néeFrayne; January 12, 1942 – August 2, 2025) was an Irish–Canadian business mogul and writer who served as the26thlieutenant-governor of Ontario from 1997 to 2002. During her five-year tenure, Weston focused on issues related to women, volunteerism and young people, drawing public attention to people working with the homeless, in hospices and as mentors to at-risk youth.
Hilary Mary Frayne was born on January 12, 1942, inDún Laoghaire,County Dublin,Ireland.[1][2] Her parents William and Noel Frayne raised her and her four siblings inDublin.[1] She was educated atLoreto Abbey, Dalkey.[3] Her father died when she was 17, so she helped support her family by working as a fashion model before marryingGalen Weston in 1966.[4] They moved toToronto in 1971, and she became a Canadian citizen.[5] They had two children,Alannah andGalen Jr., and four grandchildren – two girls with Alannah and her husband Alex Cochrane (an interior architect), and two boys with Galen and his wife Alexandra.[6][7][8]
Weston spent over two decades working in business and the fashion industry. As deputy chair ofHolt Renfrew, she promoted Canadian design and merchandise.[9] During the same period, she also served as a director ofBrown Thomas & Co. in Ireland.[5]
Prime ministerJean Chretien appointed Weston aslieutenant-governor of Ontario on December 12, 1996.[10] She was the second female to serve as Ontario'svice-regal, afterPauline Mills McGibbon was the first in 1974.[10] During herinvestiture ceremony, on January 24, 1997, she announced she would donate her $92,000 yearly salary to charity.[11] Her focus, as the province's 26th vice-regal, was to help young people, improve the status of women and extol the virtues of volunteer work.[12]
In 1979, Weston founded theIreland Fund of Canada, a non-partisan, non-denominational organization that funds community projects in Ireland to promote peace. She continued to serve as an honorary patron of the organization for the rest of her life.[5]
An interest inearly childhood education led Weston to serve as founding chair of the Mabin School in Toronto.[13] She also co-founded and chaired the Canadian Environment Educational Foundation,[14] and she established the Winter Garden Show at theRoyal Agricultural Winter Fair.[15]
Weston explored her longstanding interest in homes and gardens as co-author of two best-selling books,In a Canadian Garden (1989) andAt Home in Canada (1995).[16]
After her term as Lieutenant Governor, Weston spearheaded the most successful fundraising campaign in Canadian cultural history, which raised more than $250 million for theRoyal Ontario Museum.[16] She was patron of several organizations dealing with social issues, such as the Abbeyfield House Society, the Hospice Association of Ontario, the Yonge Street Mission,[17] theLandmine Survivors Network (later known asSurvivor Corps), theOntario March of Dimes[18] and the Prince's Trust Canada.[19] Weston also devoted a significant proportion of her time, as well as her business and fashion expertise, toSelfridges, the London department store of which she was a director.[20]
Weston spent her later years inLondon, where she died on August 2, 2025.[21] The Government of Ontario held a provincial memorial service on October 17, 2025 atSt. Paul's, Bloor Street.[22]
As Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, Weston automatically received theOrder of Ontario (OOnt) in 1997,[23] and she served as ex officio Chancellor of the Order during her term in office.[24] She was also automatically invested as aDame of Justice of the Venerable Order of St. John (DStJ) in 1997.[18]
Weston was appointed as a Member of theOrder of Canada in 2003.[25] She received the Canadian version of theQueen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002, and automatically received the Canadian version of theQueen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.[26]
In the2015 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was made a Commander of theRoyal Victorian Order,[27] in recognition of donations by the Galen Weston Foundation made to the College of St. George atWindsor Castle.
Ten post-secondary institutions recognized Weston with honorary degrees, including theUniversity of Western Ontario,[28]Concordia University,[18]University of St. Michael's College,[29]University of Toronto,Massey College,[30]Trinity College, Dublin[31] andUniversity College Dublin.[32]
In 2009, Weston received the President's Award at theYWCA TorontoWomen of Distinction Awards, for modelling leadership in public and private life.[33]
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| Ribbon | Description | Year | Notes |
| Order of Canada (CM) | 2003 | Member[25] |
| Royal Victorian Order (CVO) | 2015 | Commander[27] |
| Order of St. John (DStJ) | 1997 | Dame of Justice |
| Order of Ontario (OOnt) | 1997 | Member[23] |
| Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal | 2002 | Canadian version |
| Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal | 2012 | Canadian version |
| King Charles III Coronation Medal | 2025 | Canadian version |
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| Government offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Ontario 1997–2002 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| People | |
