Oliver Mowat

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**The Hon. Sir Oliver Mowat**
Image:Oliver Mowat.jpg
Rank:	3rd
First Term:	October 25, 1872 - July 25, 1896
Predecessor:	Edward Blake
Successor:	Arthur S. Hardy
Date of Birth:	July 22, 1820
Place of Birth:	Kingston, Ontario
Profession:	Lawyer
Political Party:	Liberal

The Honourable Sir Oliver Mowat, GCMG , PC , QC (July 22, 1820 – 19 April, 1903) was a Canadian politician, and premier of Ontario from 1872 to 1896.

Mowat was born in Kingston, Ontario.

Before entering politics Mowat trained as a lawyer, and on January 27, 1836, Mowat, not yet sixteen years old, articled in the law office of John A. Macdonald. He was called to the bar November 5, 1841. In 1846 he married Jane Ewart a daughter of John Ewart of Toronto. Mowat in 1856 was created a Queen's Counsel.

He first entered politics as an alderman of the City of Toronto in 1857. From there he became a member of the Legislative Assembly for South Ontario.

As a youth he had taken up arms with the royalists during the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837, which suggested a conservative inclination in politics. However, he did not trust the politics of Macdonald, George-Étienne Cartier, or the other leaders of the Conservative Party and instead joined the Reformers. As a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1858 to 1864 he was closely associated with George Brown and served as Provincial Secretary (1858) and Postmaster-General (1863–1864) in pre-Confederation government (the John Sandfield Macdonald administration) and was also an avid supporter of "representation by population." With Brown, he helped create what became the Ontario Liberal Party as well as the Liberal Party of Canada.

Mowat was a member of the Great Coalition government of 1864 and was a representative at that year's Quebec Conference, where he helped work out the division of powers between the federal and provincial governments. Also in 1864, he was appointed to the judiciary as vice-chancellor of Ontario, a position he held until he was elected premier on October 31, 1872.

As premier in the 1880s a series of disputes with the Dominion arose over Provincial boundaries, jurisdiction over liquor licenses, timber, mineral rights and other matters. These court battles were won by Mowat, resulting a weakening of the power of the federal government in provincial matters. Mowat's battles with the federal government greatly decentralized Canada, giving the provinces far more power than Macdonald had intended. He also served as his own Attorney-General concurrently with his service as Premier, and introduced reforms such as the secret ballot in elections and the extension of suffrage beyond property owners. He also introduced laws regulating liquor and created the municipal level of government. His government was moderate and attempted to cut across divisions in the province between Catholics and Protestants as well as between country and city. He also oversaw the expansion of Ontario's boundaries northward as well as the emergence of the province into the economic powerhouse of Canada.

In 1896 the leader of the opposition, Wilfrid Laurier, convinced Mowat to enter federal politics. It was thought that the combination of a French Canadian (Laurier) and the prestige of Sir Oliver Mowat in Ontario would be a winning ticket for the Liberal party. The slogan was "Laurier, Mowat and Victory". Victory was won, and on July 13, 1896, Mowat became Minister of Justice and a few days later a Senator.

In 1897 he was appointed Lieutenant governor of Ontario and served until his death in office in 1903.

Image:Places toronto queens park mowat.jpg Mowat was knighted in 1892. He is also honoured with a high school named after him in Toronto [1].

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