James Bartleman

James Karl Bartleman (1939–2023) was a Canadian diplomat, author, and the 27th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. Born in Orillia, Ontario, on December 24, 1939, he grew up in Port Carling, Muskoka, and was a member of the Chippewas of Rama First Nation. He earned an honours BA in history from the University of Western Ontario in 1963.

Bartleman spent more than 35 years in Canada’s foreign service, including service as foreign-policy adviser to Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. Appointed Lieutenant Governor in 2002, he became Ontario’s first Indigenous person to hold the office and served until 2007. His vice-regal priorities were reducing the stigma associated with mental illness, opposing racism and discrimination, and encouraging Indigenous youth.

His writing included memoir and fiction rooted in personal experience, public service, and Indigenous life. The childhood memoir Out of Muskoka addresses his early years and First Nations identity. During his term in office, he initiated the Lieutenant Governor’s Book Drive, which distributed 1.2 million used books to First Nations schools and Native Friendship Centres in Ontario. Ontario later established the James Bartleman Indigenous Youth Creative Writing Award in recognition of his literacy work. Bartleman was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada and was a member of the Order of Ontario.