| No. |
Portrait |
Name
(Birth–Death)
District |
Term of office |
Electoral mandates (Assembly) |
Political party |
| 1 |
|
John Sandfield Macdonald
(1812–1872)
MLA for Cornwall |
15 July
1867 |
20 December
1871 |
— (none)
1867 election (1st Assembly)Co. |
Liberal-Conservative Party |
| Macdonald led a Coalition between the Liberal-Conservative Party and the Liberal Party; was also an MP in the House of Commons until 1872; was the last Catholic premier for 132 years |
| 2 |
|
Edward Blake
(1833–1912)
MLA for Bruce South |
20 December
1871 |
25 October
1872 |
1871 election (2nd Assembly) |
Liberal Party |
| Resigned to lead the federal Liberal Party |
| 3 |
|
Sir Oliver Mowat
(1820–1903)
MLA for Oxford North |
25 October
1872 |
21 July
1896 |
— (2nd Assembly)
1875 election (3rd Assembly)
1879 election (4th Assembly)
1883 election (5th Assembly)
1886 election (6th Assembly)
1890 election (7th Assembly)
1894 election (8th Assembly) |
Liberal Party |
| Secured a large amount of power for the provinces through court battles with the federal government; introduced the secret ballot in elections and extended suffrage beyond property owners; created the municipal level of government; Ontario prohibition plebiscite, 1894 |
| 4 |
|
Arthur Sturgis Hardy
(1837–1901)
MLA for Brant South |
21 July
1896 |
20 October
1899 |
— (8th Assembly)
1898 election (9th Assembly) |
Liberal Party |
|
| 5 |
|
Sir George William Ross
(1841–1914)
MLA for Middlesex West |
20 October
1899 |
8 February
1905 |
— (9th Assembly)
1902 election (10th Assembly) |
Liberal Party |
| Expanded libraries, kindergarten, and university grants; Ontario prohibition referendum, 1902 |
| 6 |
|
Sir James Whitney
(1843–1914)
MLA for Dundas |
8 February
1905 |
25 September
1914 |
1905 election (11th Assembly)
1908 election (12th Assembly)
1911 election (13th Assembly)
1914 election (14th Assembly) |
Conservative Party |
| Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario; Workmen's Compensation Act; temperance legislation; Regulation 17 |
| 7 |
|
Sir William Hearst
(1864–1941)
MLA for Sault Ste. Marie |
2 October
1914 |
14 November
1919 |
— (14th Assembly) |
Conservative Party |
| Ontario Temperance Act; expanded workers injury compensation; allowed woman suffrage; Ontario prohibition referendum, 1919 |
| 8 |
|
Ernest Drury
(1878–1968)
MLA for Halton |
14 November
1919 |
16 July
1923 |
1919 election (15th Assembly)Co. |
United Farmers |
| Led a Coalition between the United Farmers Party and the Labour Party; did not win a seat in the legislature until a 1920 by-election; created the first Department of Welfare; set a minimum wage for women; expanded Ontario Hydro; created the Province of Ontario Savings Office; began the first major reforestation program in North America; Ontario prohibition referendum, 1921 |
| 9 |
|
George Howard Ferguson
(1870–1946)
MLA for Grenville |
16 July
1923 |
16 December
1930 |
1923 election (16th Assembly)
1926 election (17th Assembly)
1929 election (18th Assembly) |
Conservative Party
Named leader in 1920 |
| Relaxed Regulation 17; created the Liquor Control Board of Ontario; Ontario prohibition referendum, 1924 |
| 10 |
|
George Stewart Henry
(1871–1958)
MLA for York East |
16 December
1930 |
10 July
1934 |
— (18th Assembly) |
Conservative Party |
| Expansion of highway system, including construction of the Queen Elizabeth Way |
| 11 |
|
Mitchell Hepburn
(1896–1953)
MLA for Elgin (until 1938)
MPP for Elgin (from 1938) |
10 July
1934 |
21 Octtober
1942 |
1934 election (19th Assembly)
1937 election (20th Assembly) |
Liberal Party
Named leader in 1930 |
| Greatly cutting government spending; succession tax; compulsory milk pasteurization; relaxed temperance laws; made the Dionne Quintuplets wards of the state |
| 12 |
|
Gordon Daniel Conant
(1885–1953)
MPP for Ontario |
21 October
1942 |
18 May
1943 |
— (20th Assembly) |
Liberal Party |
| Temporary premier during the 1943 party leadership race |
| 13 |
|
Harry Nixon
(1891–1961)
MPP for Brant |
18 May
1943 |
17 August
1943 |
— (20th Assembly) |
Liberal Party
Named leader in 1943 |
|
| 14 |
|
George A. Drew
(1894–1973)
MPP for High Park (until 1948) |
17 August
1943 |
19 October
1948 |
1943 election (21st Assembly)Min.
1945 election (22nd Assembly)
1948 election (23rd Assembly)LS |
Progressive Conservative Party
Named leader in 1938 |
| Drew Regulation; LeBel Royal Commission; anti-Semitic, union-bashing, and red-baiting campaign; joined Ontario to North American power grid, increased provincial share of Education spending |
| 15 |
|
Thomas Laird Kennedy
(1878–1959)
MPP for Peel |
19 October
1948 |
4 May
1949 |
— (23rd Assembly) |
Progressive Conservative Party |
|
| 16 |
|
Leslie Frost
(1895–1973)
MPP for Victoria |
4 May
1949 |
8 November
1961 |
— (23rd Assembly)
1951 election (24th Assembly)
1955 election (25th Assembly)
1959 election (26th Assembly) |
Progressive Conservative Party
Named leader in 1949 |
| 400-series highways; Provincial Sales Tax; public hospital insurance which would become OHIP; Large growth in universities; Fair Employment Practices Act and Fair Accommodation Practices Act; Voting rights for First Nations; Metropolitan Toronto |
| 17 |
|
John Robarts
(1917–1982)
MPP for London North |
8 November
1961 |
1 March
1971 |
— (26th Assembly)
1963 election (27th Assembly)
1967 election (28th Assembly) |
Progressive Conservative Party
Named leader in 1961 |
| Ontario Human Rights Code; 1967 "Confederation of Tomorrow" conference; French education in Ontario schools; |
| 18 |
|
Bill Davis
(1929–)
MPP for Peel North (until 1975)
MPP for Brampton (from 1975) |
1 March
1971 |
8 February
1985 |
— (28th Assembly)
1971 election (29th Assembly)
1975 election (30th Assembly)Min.
1977 election (31st Assembly)Min.
1981 election (32nd Assembly) |
Progressive Conservative Party
Named leader in 1971 |
| Spadina Expressway; rejected full funding to Ontario's Catholic high schools; New regional governments; Rent controls; |
| 19 |
|
Frank Miller
(1927–2000)
MPP for Muskoka |
8 February
1985 |
26 June
1985 |
— (32nd Assembly)
1985 election (33rd Assembly)Min. |
Progressive Conservative Party
Named leader in 1985 |
| Lost a motion of no confidence immediately after the election and gave power to the opposition party. |
| 20 |
|
David Peterson
(1943–)
MPP for London Centre |
26 June
1985 |
1 October
1990 |
— (33rd Assembly)Min.
1987 election (34th Assembly)Min. |
Liberal Party
Named leader in 1982 |
| Had the second-most seats in the 33rd assembly, but formed an accord with the New Democratic Party that would let the Liberal Party take power without forming an official coalition. Reforms to doctor billing, rent laws, labour negotiation laws, pensions, environment, and helth insurance primiums; Extended Catholic school funding to highschool; supported the Meech Lake Accord; Patti Starr scandal |
| 21 |
|
Bob Rae
(1948–)
MPP for York South |
1 October
1990 |
26 June
1995 |
1990 election (35th Assembly) |
New Democratic Party
Named leader in 1982 |
| Social Contract (Ontario) and clash with unions; Rae days; Affirmative action; Rent control; Reserve status for North Ontario Aboriginals; Moratorium on new nuclear plants; Attempted to restrict Sunday shopping |
| 22 |
|
Mike Harris
(1945–)
MPP for Nipissing |
26 June
1995 |
14 April
2002 |
1995 election (36th Assembly)
1999 election (37th Assembly) |
Progressive Conservative Party
Named leader in 1990 |
| Common Sense Revolution; Ontario Works Workfare; Large tax cuts; Cancelled urban infrastructure projects; Cut health spending; Telehealth Ontario; Division of Ontario Hydro; Creation of megacities, including Toronto; Elimination of highschool OAC year and introduction of standardized testing; Ipperwash Crisis; Large teacher strikes; Ontario's Living Legacy; Walkerton crisis; Ontario's Drive Clean |
| 23 |
|
Ernie Eves
(1946–)
MPP for Dufferin—Peel—Wellington—Grey |
15 April
2002 |
22 October
2003 |
— (37th Assembly) |
Progressive Conservative Party
Named leader in 2002 |
| Kimberly Rogers and welfare reform; Possible sale of Hydro One and problem with hydro costs due to hot summers and 2003 North America blackout |
| 24 |
|
Dalton McGuinty
(1955–)
MPP for Ottawa South |
23 October
2003 |
Incumbent |
2003 election (38th Assembly)
2007 election (39th Assembly)
2011 election (40th Assembly)Min. |
Liberal Party
Named leader in 1996 |
| Auto insurance reforms; Cancelled tax cuts; Increase in health spending and Health Premium tax; Transfer of gas tax to municipalities; Pit bull ban; Greenbelt (Golden Horseshoe); Renegotiation of federal equalization; Expansion of Ontario's Drive Clean; MoveOntario; eHealth Ontario scandal; Harmonized Sales Tax |
- ^Co. Coalition government
- ^Min. Minority government
- ^LS Party won the election, but premier lost own seat
|