Fonds F0984 - John W. Hugill fonds

John William Hugill was born in West Hartlepool, Yorkshire, England. Hugill studied at the City of London School and the Royal Academy. He came to Canada in 1896 and studied at King's College in Windsor, Nova Scotia. In 1907 he moved to Calgary and joined the R.B. Bennett law firm. He subsequently obtained law degrees from the Universities of Alberta and Manitoba, and in 1920 opened his own law firm in Calgary.

Hugill was a Calgary alderman from 1921 to 1923 and was acting mayor during the visit of Governor-General Byng. He was elected as a Social Credit Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) to the Alberta Legislature in 1935 and was appointed Attorney General in the Aberhart government. He resigned this position in 1937 due to differences with the party, and sat as an Independent member until 1940. Hugill was active in the Canadian Bar Association and was consul for both Sweden and Holland. He held the rank of Major in the Calgary Highlanders, and served on the Mobilization Board during the Second World War. Hugill was also an active sportsman and was involved in equestrian and polo competitions as well as mountain climbing. He retired to Victoria, British Columbia.