Sir Oliver Mowat

Few political leaders in Ontario's history have had as lasting an impact on the province, and perhaps on the nation, as Oliver Mowat, premier from 1872 to 1896. Under his leadership Ontario flourished economically, socially, and politically.

Among the many political skills that Mowat brought to office, one of the most useful was pragmatism. He was able to establish a rock-solid style that appealed to a wide spectrum of the electorate: rural and urban, Catholic and Protestant. He was al…