Elizabeth Dowdeswell

Elizabeth Dowdeswell
Dowdeswell in 2020
29th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
In office
September 23, 2014  November 14, 2023
Monarchs
Governors General
Premier
Preceded byDavid Onley
Succeeded byEdith Dumont
3rd Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme
In office
1992–1998
Secretary-GeneralBoutros Boutros-Ghali
Kofi Annan
Preceded byMostafa Kamal Tolba
Succeeded byKlaus Töpfer
Personal details
Born
Violet Elizabeth Patton

(1944-11-09) November 9, 1944
Belfast, Northern Ireland
NationalityCanadian
Alma mater
OccupationCivil servant

Violet Elizabeth Dowdeswell OC OOnt (née Patton; born November 9, 1944) is a Canadian civil servant who served as the 29th lieutenant governor of Ontario from 2014 to 2023. As lieutenant governor, Dowdeswell was the viceregal representative of the Crown in Right of Ontario. A champion of civil society, environmental protection, inclusive growth and liberal democracy, she is also the longest-serving lieutenant governor in Ontario's history.