Historical information

Joseph Gillies Biggar was a Belfast pork merchant. The Protestant faith has given more leaders to the Irish rebels than the Catholic faith, such as Grattan, Davies, Butt, Mitchell, Parnell, Shaw, Biggar, etc., and all, without exception, were Protestants.(http://www.marxists.org/archive/connolly/1911/connwalk/2-rebirel.htm)

"Looking through the long list of those who were
present at the Home Rule Conference, one may
see the names of men, young or obscure, who were to achieve fame in the movement, and, in some cases, to exercise a decisive influence on its development. The earliest that springs to the eye is " Joseph Gillies Biggar." It was the first time
that that misshapened form, with its homely face,
its broad smile, its shrewd and fearless glance,
was seen ; and the rasping voice, and odd and jerky mode of speaking, was heard, at a nationalist gathering. Biggar was then forty-six, a Presbyterian, head of a successful firm of provision merchants in Belfast, a member of the Municipal Corporation of Belfast, and chairman of the Water Commissioners; and was to commence soon his extraordinary career in the House of Commons. (http://archive.org/stream/homerulemovement00macduoft/homerulemovement00macduoft_djvu.txt)

Physical description

Portrait of a man wearing a glasses. He is Joseph Gilles Biggar