William Hodgins Biggar
Encyclopedia
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
business lawyer and political figure. He represented Hastings West
Hastings West
Hastings West was a federal electoral district in the province of Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1925...
in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
as a Liberal member from 1890 to 1898.He also served on the parliamentary Committee overseeing the construction of the Legislative Assembly building for Ontario.
He was born in Carrying Place
Carrying Place, Ontario
Carrying Place is a community that serves as the gateway to Prince Edward County, Ontario, Canada. Situated northwest of Picton and just south of Trenton, it was named for its location on the portage between the Bay of Quinte and Weller's Bay on Lake Ontario. The Loyalist Parkway passes through the...
, Canada West in 1852, the son of James Lyons Biggar
James Lyons Biggar
James Lyons Biggar was an Ontario merchant and political figure. He represented Northumberland East in the Canadian House of Commons from 1874 to 1878 as an Independent Liberal....
; his mother's brothers were Thomas Hodgins
Thomas Hodgins
Thomas Hodgins was an Ontario lawyer and political figure. He represented Elgin West in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal member from 1871 to 1878....
and John George Hodgins. He was educated in Trenton
Trenton, Ontario
Trenton is a community in Southern Ontario in the municipality of Quinte West, Ontario, Canada. Located on the Bay of Quinte, it is the main population centre in Quinte West....
and at Upper Canada College
Upper Canada College
Upper Canada College , located in midtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is an independent elementary and secondary school for boys between Senior Kindergarten and Grade Twelve, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The secondary school segment is divided into ten houses; eight are...
. In 1893, he married Marie Louise Ballou, whose father was a partner in Tiffany and Co. of New York. Biggar began work as a merchant, but later studied law, was called to the bar in 1880 and became a partner of John Bell, legal counsel for the Grand Trunk Railway. Biggar succeeded Bell as legal counsel when Bell retired, and later became Vice President of the Grand Trunk Railway system.He also served as an officer in the Toronto volunteer militia, the Queen's Own Rifles, and was mayor of Belleville
Belleville, Ontario
Belleville is a city located at the mouth of the Moira River on the Bay of Quinte in Southern Ontario, Canada, in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. It is the seat of Hastings County, but is politically independent of it. and the centre of the Bay of Quinte Region...
in 1887. Biggar also served as counsel for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
Grand Trunk Pacific Railway
The Grand Trunk Pacific Railway was a historical Canadian railway.A wholly owned subsidiary of the Grand Trunk Railway , the GTPR was constructed by GTR using loans provided by the Government of Canada. The company was formed in 1903 with a mandate to build west from Winnipeg, Manitoba to the...
.
The town of Biggar, Saskatchewan
Biggar, Saskatchewan
Biggar is a town in central Saskatchewan, Canada. It is located on Highway #14, west of Saskatoon, the province’s most populous city. Biggar has become well known for its unusual town slogan, an Olympic athlete, and a world-record deer...
was named after him.