Born 1828; died Feb. 19, 1890. Activist in the Irish nationalist movement. Wholesale merchant.
From 1870, Biggar was an active participant in the struggle for home rule. Elected in 1874 to the British Parliament, Biggar initiated the use of the tactics of parliamentary obstruction, which played a big role in thwarting or postponing reactionary colonialist enactments with regard to Ireland. Striving for an alliance between the Home Rulers and the peasant movement, Biggar participated in the activities of the Land League, which was founded in 1879. At the same time he supported C. Parnell’s policy of compromise and his deals with the English liberals.