Hilary Weston

Hilary Mary Weston ( Frayne; born January 12, 1942) is an Irish–Canadian businesswoman and writer who served as the 26th Lieutenant 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. Life and career Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, she was educated at Loreto Abbey, Dalkey. She worked as a model before marrying Galen Weston in 1966. They moved to Toronto in 1974, and she became a Canadian citizen. They have two married children, Alannah and Galen Jr., and five grandchildren – two girls and a boy with Alannah and her husband Alex Cochrane (an interior architect), 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 the fashion industry. As deputy chair of Holt Renfrew, she promoted Canadian design and merchandise. During the same period, she also served as a 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 at the Windsor gated community in Vero Beach, 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.