Colonel Oliver Mowat Biggar

Colonel Oliver Mowat Biggar (1876-1948) was born in Toronto, Canada. His father was Charles Robert Webster Biggar, a lawyer and his mother was Jane Helen Mowat (whose grandfather was Sir Oliver Mowat, a former Premier of Ontario).

Biggar attended both Upper Canada College and the University of Toronto, graduating from the latter in 1898. He became active in the militia. In 1901 Biggar graduated a gold medalist from Osgoode Hall Law School and began practicing that profession. By 1903, having moved to Edmonton, Alberta, he was called to the bar there. In 1908 he married Muriel Elizabeth Whitney.<Library and Archives Canada>

During this period he enlisted with the Edmonton Fusiliers and rose to become Judge Advocate General for Canada with the rank of Colonel. Over the years he built a distinguished career as a trusted and competent public servant.

At the conclusion of The Great War (1914-1919), Sir Robert Borden, Canada's then Prime Minister invited him to attend the Peace Conferences in Paris and Versailles as chief legal adviser and member of the Canadian delegation. Further, Biggar was also asked to serve as British Secretary of the War Guilt Commission and Assistant Secretary of the British Delegation.<Library and Archives Canada>

Upon his return to Canada, Biggar was named vice chairman of the air board where he organized Canada's Air Department. This was subsequently divided into its civilian (Canadian Air Transport Board) and military (Royal Canadian Air Force) components.

In 1920, The Canadian House of Commons unanimously voted him as Canada's first Chief Electoral Officer. In 1927 he resigned and returned to the practice of law with the firm of Smart & Biggar, in Ottawa.<Elections Canada>

In 1940, then Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King selected him to be one of his senior advisors and appointed him to the Canada-U.S. Joint Defense Board. This entity was co- chaired by Biggar and Mr. Fiorello La Guardia, the former mayor of New York. <Library and Archives Canada>

In 1942, Biggar was asked to create a single agency for the purpose of effective wartime censorship out of five separate operations. These became one branch of the National War Services Department that was staffed successfully by volunteers. Biggar was also invited to be a member of the Wartime Information Board.

In 1945, due to ill health Biggar relinquished his duties to General Charles McNaughton. Biggar died in 1948.

References

• <Elections Canada>
• <Library and Archives Canada> Archival reference no. R2019-0-4-E Former archival reference no. MG30-E85
• <The Canadian Encyclopedia,1985>
• <The Canadian Who's Who, 1948>

Persondata
Name	Biggar, Oliver Mowat
Alternative names	Colonel Oliver Mowat Biggar
Short description
Date of birth	1876
Place of birth
Date of death	1948
Place of death