THE ONTARIO HISTORICAL STUDIES SERIES
The Ontario Historical Studies Series is a comprehensive history of Ontario from 1791 to the present, which will include several biographies of former premiers, numerous volumes on the economic, social, political, and cultural development of the province, and a general history incorporating the insights and conclusions of other works in the series. The purpose of the series is to enable general readers and scholars to understand better the distinctive features of Ontario as one of the principal regions within Canada.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Hugh Anson-Cartwright, Toronto Gerald Killan, London J.M.S. Careless, Toronto Varpu Lindstrom, Toronto Edith Firth, Toronto Jacqueline Côté Neatby, Ottawa Gaétan Gervais, Sudbury Donald Swainson, Kingston
THE BIOGRAPHIES OF THE PREMIERS J.M.S. Careless, éd., The Pre-Confederation Premiers: Ontario Government Leaders, 1841-1867 A. Margaret Evans, Sir Oliver Mowat (Premier, 1872-1896) Charles W. Humphries, 'Honest Enough to be Bold': The Life and Times of Sir James Pliny Whitney (Premier, 1905-1914) Charles M. Johnston, E.G. Drury: Agrarian Idealist (Premier, 1919-1923) Peter Oliver, G. Howard Ferguson: Ontario Tory (Premier, 1923-1930) John T. Saywell, 'Just call me Mitch': The Life of Mitchell F. Hepburn (Premier, 1934-1942) Roger Graham, Old Man Ontario: Leslie M. Frost (Premier, 1949-1961) A.K. McDougall, John P. Robarts: His Life and Government (Premier, 1961-1971)
FORTHCOMING Robert J.D. Page, SIR GEORGE w. ROSS (Premier, 1899-1905) Portrait of the Hon. Sir Oliver Mowat, painted by Robert Harris in the premier's study in 1892 A. MARGARET EVANS
Sir Oliver Mowat
Published by University of Toronto Press Toronto Buffalo London for The Ontario Historical Studies Series © Her Majesty the Queen in right of the Province of Ontario 1992 Printed in Canada
ISBN 0-8020-3392-x (cloth)
ISBN 0-8020-3471-3 (paper)
Printed on acid-free paper
Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Evans, A. Margaret Sir Oliver Mowat
(Ontario historical studies series, ISSN 0380-9188) Includes index.
ISBN 0-8020-3392-x (bound) ISBN 0-8020-3471-3 (pbk) 1. Mowat, Oliver, 1820-1903. 2. Ontario - Politics and government - 1867-1905. * 3. Prime ministers - Ontario - Biography. I. Title. II. Series.
Fc3072.1.M8E83 1992 971.3'03'092 c91-095726-6 FI058.M8E83 1992
This book has been published with funds provided by the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Culture and Communications.
Cover illustration: The Honourable Sir Oliver Mowat, 1892. Painting by Robert Harris, courtesy of the Government of Ontario Art Collection. Photograph courtesy of Tom Moore Photography, Toronto. To my children
Robert, John, and Margaret and their families This page intentionally left blank