Oliver Mowat Biggar

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Oliver Mowat Biggar (October 11, 1876 – September 4, 1948) was a Canadian lawyer and civil servant who held several important public roles. He was the second judge advocate general of the Canadian Militia from 1918 to 1920 and the first chief electoral officer of Canada from 1920 to 1927. He also co-chaired the Canada–United States Permanent Joint Board on Defense.

Biggar was born in Toronto, the eldest son of lawyer Charles Robert Webster Biggar and Jane Helen Mowat, and the grandson of Sir Oliver Mowat. He studied at Upper Canada College, then at the University of Toronto, earning a bachelor’s degree in 1898. He finished law school at Osgoode Hall in 1901 and began practicing in Toronto before moving to Edmonton, Alberta in 1903. He practiced with the firm Short, Cross and Biggar and became a King's Counsel in 1913.

During World War I, Biggar served in the military and rose to lieutenant-colonel. In 1918 he became the Judge Advocate General of Canada. After the war, he participated in international negotiations and served on the Air Board to help organize Canada’s early air services.

In 1920, Parliament named him Canada’s first chief electoral officer. He worked to improve voter rolls and ensure women could vote, and he supported making advance polling more available.

Biggar remained active in public affairs, including work with the League of Nations and advising on Canada’s international role. He helped draft the Natural Resources Acts (1925–1926), representing the federal government in negotiations with Alberta, and he contributed to significant constitutional cases.

In 1927 he left public office to join the private law firm Smart & Biggar, where he specialized in intellectual property and continued to practice public and constitutional law. He also wrote on patent law and advised on matters before the Supreme Court of Canada.

During World War II, Biggar returned to government service. He helped establish the Canada–U.S. Permanent Joint Board on Defense, directed wartime censorship, and served on the Wartime Information Board. His health declined in 1944, and he stepped back from his duties in 1945. He died in Ottawa in 1948 at the age of 71.