The Honourable Hilary Mary Weston CM, CVO, O.Ont |
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26th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario | |
In office 24 January 1997 – 7 March 2002 |
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Monarch | Elizabeth II |
Governor General |
Roméo LeBlanc Adrienne Clarkson |
Premier | Mike Harris |
Preceded by | Hal Jackman |
Succeeded by | James Bartleman |
Personal details | |
Born |
Dublin, Ireland |
January 12, 1942
Spouse(s) | Galen Weston |
Profession | businesswoman, writer |
Hilary Mary Weston, CM CVO OOnt (née Frayne; born January 12, 1942) was the 26th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, serving 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.
Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, Weston worked as a model before marrying Galen Weston in 1966. They moved to Toronto in 1974, and Weston became a Canadian citizen. They have two married children, Alannah and Galen, Jr., and four grandchildren: two girls with Alannah and her husband Alex, and two boys with Galen and his wife Alexandra.
Prior to her appointment as Lieutenant Governor, Weston spent over two decades working in business and in the fashion industry. As deputy chair of Holt Renfrew, she promoted Canadian design and merchandise. During the same time, she also served as director of Brown Thomas & Co. in Ireland, co-founded Torwest in the United States, and served as vice-chair and design director of the Windsor Club in Florida.
In 1979, Weston founded the Ireland Fund of Canada, a non-partisan, non-denominational organization that funds community projects in Ireland to promote peace. She continues to serve as an honorary patron of the organization.
An interest in early childhood education led Weston to serve as founding chair of the Mabin School in Toronto. She also co-founded and chaired the Canadian Environment Educational Foundation, and established the Winter Garden Show at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. Weston has explored her longstanding interest in homes and gardens as co-author of two best-selling books, In a Canadian Garden (1989) and At Home in Canada (1995).