The following is a list of the governors and governors general of Canada. Though the present-day office of the Governor General of Canada is legislatively covered under the Constitution Act, 1867 and legally constituted by the Letters Patent, 1947, the institution is, along with the institution of the Crown it represents, the oldest continuous and uniquely Canadian institution in Canada, having existed in an unbroken line since the appointment of Samuel de Champlain in 1627.

Lieutenant General/Viceroy of New France, 1541–1627

No. Portrait Name Term of office Monarch Ref. 1 Jean-François Roberval 1541 1543 years Francis I 2Troilus de Mesqouez1578unknownunknown Henry IIIHenry IV 3 Aymar de Chaste 1602 1603 years 4 Henri II, Prince of Condé 1614 1619 yearsLouis XIII 5 Henri II, Duke of Montmorency 1619 1625 years 6 Henri de Lévis de Ventadour, Duke of Ventadour 1625 1627 years

Governors of New France, 1627–1663

No. Portrait Name Term of office Monarch 1 Samuel de Champlain 1627 1635 years Louis XIII2Charles de Montmagny16351648 yearsLouis XIV 3 Louis d'Ailleboust de Coulonge 1648 1651 years 4 Jean de Lauson 1651 1657 years 5 Pierre de Voyer d'Argenson, Vicomte de Mouzay 1658 1661 years 6 Pierre Dubois Davaugour 1661 1663 years

Governors general of New France, 1663–1760

No. Portrait Name Term of office Monarch 1 Augustin de Saffray de Mésy 1663 1665 yearsLouis XIV 2 Daniel de Rémy de Courcelle 1665 1672 years 3 Louis de Buade, Count of Frontenac 1672 1682 years 4 Joseph-Antoine le Fèbvre, Sieur of La Barre 1682 1685 years 5 Jacques-René de Brisay, Marquis de Denonville 1685 1689 years (3) Louis de Buade, Count of Frontenac 1689 1698 years 6 Louis-Hector de Callière 1698 1703 years7Philippe de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil17031725 yearsLouis XV 8 Charles de la Boische, Marquis de Beauharnois 1725 1747 years 9 Roland-Michel Barrin de La Galissonière 1747 1749 years 10 Jacques-Pierre de Taffanel de la Jonquière, Marquis de la Jonquière 1749 1752 years 11 Michel-Ange Duquesne de Menneville, Marquess Duquesne 1752 1755 years 12 Pierre de Rigaud, marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnial 1755 1760 years

Governors of the Province of Quebec, 1760–1786 Following the Seven Years' War, control passed from France to Great Britain in the terms of the Treaty of Paris, creating the British Province of Quebec. Governors subsequently served under the British monarchy.

No. Portrait Name Term of office Monarch 1 Jeffery Amherst 1760 1763 yearsGeorge III 2 James Murray 1764 1768 years 3 Guy Carleton 1768 1778 years 4 Sir Frederick Haldimand 1778 1786 years

Governors general of the Canadas/British North America, 1786–1841

No. Portrait Name Term of office Monarch 1 Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester 1786 1796 yearsGeorge III 2 Robert Prescott 1796 1799 years 3 Sir Robert Milnes, 1st Baronet 1799 1805 years 4 Thomas Dunn 1805 1807 years 5 Sir James Henry Craig 1807 1811 years 6 Sir George Prevost, 1st Baronet 1811 1815 years 7 Sir Gordon Drummond 1815 1816 years 8 Sir John Coape Sherbrooke 1816 1818 years 9 Charles Lennox, 4th Duke of Richmond 1818 1819 years 10 George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie 1820 1828 yearsGeorge IV 11 Sir James Kempt 1828 1830 years 12 Matthew Whitworth-Aylmer, 5th Baron Aylmer 1830 1835 yearsWilliam IV 13 Archibald Acheson, 2nd Earl of Gosford 1835 1837 years 14 Sir John Colborne 1837 1838 yearsVictoria 15 John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham 1838 1839 years 16 Charles Poulett Thomson, 1st Baron Sydenham 1839 1841 years

Governors general of the Province of Canada, 1841–1867

No. Portrait Name Term of office Monarch 1 Charles Poulett Thomson, 1st Baron Sydenham 1841 1841 Victoria 2 Sir Charles Bagot 1842 1843 3 Charles Metcalfe, 1st Baron Metcalfe 1843 1845 4 Charles Cathcart, 2nd Earl Cathcart 1845 1847 5 James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin 1847 1854 6 Sir Edmund Walker Head, Baronet 1854 1861 7 Charles Monck, 4th Viscount Monck 1861 1867

Governors general of Canada, 1867–present

No. Portrait Name Profession Term of office Monarch Prime Minister Ref. 1 Charles Monck, 4th Viscount Monck Politician 1867 1868 VictoriaSir John A. Macdonald 2 John Young, 1st Baron Lisgar Politician 1868 1872 3Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Earl of DufferinDiplomat18721878 Alexander MackenzieSir John A. Macdonald 4 John Campbell, Marquess of Lorne Author,politician 1878 1883 5 Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne Politician 1883 1888 6Frederick Stanley, Lord Stanley of PrestonPolitician18881893 Sir John AbbottSir John Sparrow David Thompson7John Hamilton-Gordon, 7th Earl of AberdeenPolitician18931898 Sir Mackenzie Bowell Sir Charles TupperSir Wilfrid Laurier8Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of MintoMilitary officer18981904Edward VII9Albert Grey, 4th Earl GreyPolitician19041911George VSir Robert Borden 10 Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn Military officer 1911 1916 11Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of DevonshirePolitician19161921Arthur Meighen12Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of VimyMilitary officer19211926 William Lyon Mackenzie King Arthur MeighenWilliam Lyon Mackenzie King13Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of WillingdonPolitician19261931R.B. Bennett14Vere Ponsonby, 9th Earl of BessboroughBusinessman19311935William Lyon Mackenzie King15John Buchan, 1st Baron TweedsmuirAuthor, Politician19351940 Edward VIIIGeorge VI 16 Alexander Cambridge, 1st Earl of Athlone Military officer 1940 1946 17Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of TunisMilitary officer19461952Louis St. Laurent18Vincent MasseyDiplomat19521959Elizabeth IIJohn Diefenbaker19Georges VanierMilitary officer,diplomat19591967Lester B. Pearson20Roland MichenerPolitician19671974Pierre Trudeau 21 Jules Léger Diplomat 1974 1979 22Edward SchreyerPolitician19791984 Joe ClarkPierre Trudeau23Jeanne SauvéJournalist,politician19841990 John TurnerBrian Mulroney24Ray HnatyshynPolitician19901995 Kim CampbellJean Chrétien 25 Roméo LeBlanc Journalist,politician 1995 1999 26Adrienne ClarksonJournalist19992005Paul Martin27Michaëlle JeanJournalist20052010Stephen Harper28David JohnstonLaw professor,university administrator20102017Justin Trudeau 29 Julie Payette Astronaut,engineer 2017 2021 30Mary SimonBroadcaster,diplomat20212026 Charles III Mark Carney 31 Louise Arbour Jurist 2026 Incumbent

Administrators

The following is a list of Administrators of the Government, Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada who were acting governors appointed as the result of the death, resignation, prolonged absence of the sitting viceroy, or for any other reason:

Chief Justice Sir Lyman Duff, between the death of Lord Tweedsmuir and the arrival of Lord Athlone (February 11 to June 21, 1940); Senior Puisne Justice Patrick Kerwin, during the absence of Governor General Lord Alexander and Chief Justice Thibaudeau Rinfret (June 11 to August 2, 1951). Chief Justice Thibaudeau Rinfret, from the departure of the Lord Alexander to the installation of Vincent Massey (January 28 to February 28, 1952); Chief Justice Robert Taschereau, from the death of Georges Vanier to the installation of Roland Michener (March 5 to April 17, 1967); Chief Justice Bora Laskin, while Governor General Jules Léger was recovering from a stroke (July 2 to December 9, 1974); Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, while Governor General Adrienne Clarkson was hospitalized (July 8 to July 11, 2005);. Chief Justice Richard Wagner, from the resignation of Julie Payette to the installation of Mary Simon (January 22 to July 26, 2021).

See also

List of Canadian monarchs List of female viceroys in Canada Viceregal consort of Canada Viceregal eponyms in Canada

References

Further reading Lemieux, L. M. The Governors-general Of Canada 1608 - 1931 (1931) full biographies of the first 52. online

External links Governor General of Canada > Former Governors General Department of Canadian Heritage > A Crown of Maples – Appendices > Governors/Governors General of Canada