James Biggart

James Alpheus Alexander Biggart (187811 August 1932) was a Tobagonian pharmacist who represented Tobago in the Legislative Council of Trinidad and Tobago from 1925 until his death in 1932. He was the first Black pharmacist in Tobago and the first person elected to represent Tobago on the Legislative Council.

1928 elections

In the 1928 elections Biggart defeated Sam F. Bonnett, another labour-supported candidate, winning 361 votes to Bonnett's 55.

Legislative council Biggart served on the legislative council from 1925 until his death in 1932. Under the new constitution which had come into effect in 1924, the council consisted of 12 official members appointed by the governor, six unofficial members appointed by the governor, and seven elected members. The governor was a voting member of the council, and also had a casting vote which enabled him to break deadlocks. This meant that the official members were ensured a majority on the council.

On the legislative council, Biggart campaigned for the development of infrastructure and education in Tobago, and the improvement of communications by sea between the islands. Biggart campaigned for the establishment of a secondary school in Tobago, either a government school or a private denominational school supported by a grant from the government. In 1925 Bishop's High School was established in Tobago by the Anglican Church, and received support in the form of a government grant. By 1927 the school had 49 students enrolled and was affiliate with Queen's Royal College in Port of Spain. Biggart was also able to convince the government to restore the position of resident in Tobago, a position that had been abolished as part of the union between the two islands. He was also successful in his campaign to improve infrastructure in Tobago and improve communications between the islands.

Biggart's position as Tobago's representative on the Legislative Council made him not only the representative of Tobago's Black middle and working class, but also of the largely white planters and merchants whose traditional access to power had come through the Tobago Planters' Associate (TPA). Being represented by someone of African descent hurt the social standing of the planters. This prompted them to request their own representation on the Legislative Council, a move that was rejected by the Secretary of State for the Colonies.

Legacy

Learie Luke put Biggart "just left of the mid-point of the autonomy continuum" from secessionist to integrationist, describing him as a separatist, who saw Tobago as having an identity and culture distinct from that of Trinidad. In Luke's assessment, Biggart set the stage for autonomists like A. P. T. James and A. N. R. Robinson who would represent Tobago in the middle and latter part of the twentieth century.