Sir William Howard Hearst, KCMG (February 15, 1864 – September 29, 1941) was the seventh premier of Ontario from 1914 to 1919.

He was in favour of the prohibition movement and restricted the unlicensed sale of alcohol in Ontario.

As a wartime administration, his government improved munitions production and hydroelectric infrastructure.

William Howard Hearst was born in the Township of Arran in Bruce County, Ontario.

Marie, Ontario, where he established the law firm Masson, Hearst, McKay in the Ganley Block at 604 Queen Street.

[3] Hearst built a house at the corner of Queen Street and Upton Road.

Under his administration, a comprehensive measure to provide compensation to workers for injuries was put into operation.

In March 1918, Hearst and the Ontario Liberal leader, William Proudfoot, agreed to extend the existing provincial government until Canadian forces returned home in 1919.

Hearst personally identified with the temperance movement, but barkeepers and alcohol producers formed part of the voter base of his party.

As a result, the government shut down bars, taverns, clubs, and liquor stores.

In 1919, after Canadian soldiers had returned from Europe, Hearst called a plebiscite on prohibition, which was held the same day as the 1919 general election.

Beginning in 1915, Liberal representatives proposed bills enabling women to vote in Ontario.

A plaque honouring Sir William H. Hearst stands in Tara Park in the Municipality of Arran–Elderslie in Bruce County.