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Sir Oliver Mowat
Oliver Mowat.jpg
Portrait as premier in1873
8th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario
In office
November 18, 1897 – April 19, 1903
Monarch Victoria
Edward VII
Governor General The Earl of Aberdeen
The Earl of Minto
Premier Arthur Sturgis Hardy
George William Ross
Preceded by Sir Casimir Gzowski (acting)
Succeeded by William Mortimer Clark
3rd Premier of Ontario
In office
October 25, 1872 – July 12, 1896
Monarch Victoria
Lieutenant Governor William Pearce Howland
John Willoughby Crawford
Donald A. Macdonald
John Beverley Robinson
Alexander Campbell
George Airey Kirkpatrick
Preceded by Edward Blake
Succeeded by Arthur Hardy
11th Minister of Justice
Attorney General of Canada
In office
July 13, 1896 – November 17, 1897
Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier
Preceded by Arthur Rupert Dickey
Succeeded by David Mills
Leader of the Government in the Senate
In office
August 19, 1896 – November 17, 1897
Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier
Preceded by Sir Mackenzie Bowell
Succeeded by David Mills
Canadian Senator
for Ontario
In office
July 12, 1896 – November 17, 1897
Nominated by Wilfrid Laurier
Preceded by John Ferguson
Succeeded by William Kerr
Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament
for Oxford North
In office
November 29, 1872 – July 14, 1896
Preceded by George Perry
Succeeded by Andrew Pattulo
Personal details
Born (1820-07-22)July 22, 1820
Kingston, Upper Canada
Died April 19, 1903(1903-04-19) (aged 82)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Resting place Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto
Political party Ontario Liberal Party
Spouse Jane Ewart
Signature

Sir Oliver Mowat (July 22, 1820 – April 19, 1903) was an important Canadian lawyer and politician. He was a leader of the Ontario Liberal Party. He served for almost 24 years as the third premier of Ontario. He was also the eighth lieutenant governor of Ontario and one of the Fathers of Confederation. He is known for protecting the rights of the provinces against the national government. He often disagreed with his political rival, John A. Macdonald. Mowat's long time in power was due to his ability to unite different groups, like Liberals, Catholics, and trade unions.

Early Life and Education

Oliver Mowat was born in Kingston, Upper Canada (which is now Ontario). His parents, John Mowat and Helen Levack, were Scottish Presbyterians who moved from Caithness, Scotland. When he was young, he supported the loyalists during the Upper Canada Rebellion in 1837. This might suggest he would become a conservative politician. However, he chose to join the Reformers instead.

Marriage and Legal Career

Mowat became a lawyer in Upper Canada on November 5, 1841. In 1846, he married Jane Ewart, whose father was John Ewart from Toronto. Oliver and Jane Mowat had three sons and four daughters. In 1856, Mowat was named a Queen's Counsel, which is a special title for experienced lawyers.

He was known as a very determined lawyer. Two of his cases were even upheld by the highest court in Britain. Mowat once said, "I cannot speak with much force unless I have an opponent."

Political Journey Before Confederation

Olivermowat
In the 1850s

Mowat started his political career as an alderman in Toronto in 1857. After that, he became a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada for South Ontario. From 1858 to 1867, he worked closely with George Brown. Mowat served as Provincial Secretary in 1858 and Postmaster-General from 1863 to 1864. He held these roles in the governments before Confederation for the Liberal Party of Canada.

Mowat was part of the Great Coalition government in 1864. He also attended the Quebec Conference that same year. There, he helped decide how powers would be divided between the federal (national) and provincial (regional) governments. On November 14, 1864, he became a judge. He served as Vice-Chancellor of the Court of Chancery of Upper Canada until he became premier on October 25, 1872.

Premier of Ontario: A Long Tenure

Mowat was the provincial member for the area of Oxford North, which is about 150 km west of Toronto. He represented this area for his entire time as premier.

Defending Provincial Rights

In the 1880s, Mowat's government had many disagreements with the federal government. These disputes were about things like provincial borders, who controlled liquor licenses, trade, rivers, and timber. It was said in 1890 that Mowat successfully fought against all attacks on provincial rights. He did not lose a single case.

These court battles made the federal government less powerful in provincial matters. Even though John A. Macdonald sometimes dismissed Mowat, Mowat's fights with the federal government greatly decentralized Canada. This gave the provinces much more power than Macdonald had wanted.

Key Reforms and Policies

Mowat also served as his own Attorney-General while being Premier. He brought in important changes, such as the secret ballot for elections. He also expanded who could vote beyond just property owners. He introduced new laws about liquor and organized the laws for local governments. His policies, especially on liquor rules and separate schools, sometimes received criticism from political conservatives.

Ontario Cabinet 1891
With the Ontario Cabinet in 1891. Clockwise starting at centre foreground: O. Mowat, A. S. Hardy, J. M. Gibson, R. Harcourt, E.H. Bronson, J. Dryden, G. W. Ross and C. F. Fraser.

The border between Ontario and Manitoba became a big issue. The federal government tried to extend Manitoba's land eastward into areas Ontario claimed. In 1882, Premier Mowat even threatened to pull Ontario out of Confederation over this. Mowat sent police into the disputed area to show Ontario's claim, and Manitoba did the same. The highest appeal court in Britain, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, sided with provincial rights many times. These decisions helped make Canada a more decentralized country, where provinces had more power.

Mowat's government was fair and tried to bridge differences between Roman Catholics and Protestants, and between rural and city areas. He also oversaw the expansion of Ontario's borders to the north. He helped develop the province's natural resources. Under his leadership, Ontario grew into Canada's economic powerhouse.

Mowat's nearly 24 years as premier of Ontario is the longest time any premier has served in Ontario's history. It is the third longest by any premier in Canada.

Federal Politics and Later Years

Lieutenant Governor the Honourable Sir Oliver Mowat Photo B (HS85-10-13453)
As Lieutenant-Governor in 1902

In 1896, Wilfrid Laurier, who was the leader of the opposition, convinced Mowat to join federal politics. People believed that having a French Canadian (Laurier) and the respected Oliver Mowat from Ontario would help the Liberal party win. Their slogan was "Laurier, Mowat and Victory." They won, and Mowat became the Minister of Justice and a Senator.

In 1897, he was appointed the eighth Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. He served in this role until he passed away in 1903. He is buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto.

Macdonald and Mowat: A Shared Era

Oliver Mowat and John A. Macdonald were once law partners in Kingston. They both led their governments at the same time for 14 years. Macdonald was Prime Minister in Ottawa, and Mowat was Premier in Toronto. Mowat served as premier for almost 24 years.

Family Connections

Mowat's daughter, Jane Helen Mowat, married Charles Robert Webster Biggar. Charles wrote a two-volume book about Mowat's life in 1905. Their son, Oliver Mowat Biggar, became Canada's first Chief Electoral Officer. Sir Oliver Mowat's grandson was the diabetologist Andrew Almon Fletcher.

Sir Oliver Mowat was also the great-granduncle of the famous Canadian author, Farley Mowat. Farley's father, Angus McGill Mowat, was a well-known Canadian librarian who fought in the Battle of Vimy Ridge.

Other Achievements and Legacy

Places toronto queens park mowat
Walter Seymour Allward's statue of Oliver Mowat on the lawn of Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario Canada

Mowat was made a knight in 1892, which showed his importance in Canada.

He also wrote two small books. In 1890, Mowat documented the first 18 years of his government in Ontario in a book.

After his death, Wilfrid Laurier praised Mowat's policy of tolerance. He said Mowat gave Ontario "a Government which can be cited as a model for all Governments: a Government which was honest, progressive, courageous, and tolerant."

Mowat is honored with a statue in Queen's Park in Toronto. Mowat Avenue in Kingston is named after him.

The Mowat Centre, a Canadian public policy think tank at the University of Toronto, is named in his honor.

The Sir Oliver Mowat Collegiate Institute in Toronto was also named after him.

In 2013, Mowat was played by David Onley (who was the 28th Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario) in the Canadian TV show Murdoch Mysteries. In 2015, Kingston actor Patrick Downes played Mowat in stage plays about John A. Macdonald's life.

The building where Mowat and Macdonald practiced law together in Kingston was renovated from 2014 to 2018. It reopened in 2018 as 'The Kensington' and features historical displays about its past and the Macdonald-Mowat relationship.

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