Frank W. Higgins
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Frank Wayland Higgins (August 18, 1856February 12, 1907) was an American politician who served as the 35th Governor of New York.


Early life

Higgins was born in
Rushford, New York Rushford is a town in Allegany County, New York, United States. The population was 1,085 at the 2020 census. Rushford is in the northwest part of Allegany County and is northeast of Olean. History The first settlersEnos Gary and two of his ch ...
on August 18, 1856. He was the son of Orrin Thrall Higgins (1826–1890) and Lucia Cornelia ( née Hapgood) Higgins (1831–1868). Given the first name "Francis" at birth, he called himself "Frank" from an early age. His elder sister was Clara Alzina Hapgood Higgins, who later married Frank Sullivan Smith, one time head of the Shawmut Railroad. His father, a descendant of Stephen Hopkins of the ''
Mayflower ''Mayflower'' was an English ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After a grueling 10 weeks at sea, ''Mayflower'', with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, r ...
'', was a successful merchant who owned a chain of grocery stores in Olean, New York and held mining and timber tracts in Michigan, Wisconsin, Washington, Oregon, and Minnesota. Higgins' grandfather was a pioneer physician of distinction in
Western New York Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY i ...
. Higgins attended Rushford Academy and then Riverview Academy, a military school in
Peekskill, New York Peekskill is a city in northwestern Westchester County, New York, United States, from New York City. Established as a village in 1816, it was incorporated as a city in 1940. It lies on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across from ...
, from which he graduated in 1873. He then attended a commercial college in Binghamton, New York.


Career

After completing his education Higgins worked as a sales agent for an oil company in
Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
and
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
, and then became a partner in the
Stanton, Michigan Stanton is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,417 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Montcalm County. It is located at the corners of four townships and incorporates land from each: Day Township to the nor ...
mercantile firm of Wood, Thayer, and Company. In 1879, Higgins returned to New York and became a partner in his father's business, Higgins, Blodgett & Co.


Political career

He was a delegate to the
1888 Republican National Convention The 1888 Republican National Convention was a presidential nominating convention held at the Auditorium Building in Chicago, Illinois, on June 19–25, 1888. It resulted in the nomination of former Senator Benjamin Harrison of Indiana for presid ...
. In 1894, Higgins was elected to the
New York Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan compo ...
with a plurality of 8,046 votes over his opponent, and he served for eight years, sitting in the 117th, 118th (both 32nd D.), 119th, 120th, 121st, 122nd, 123rd, 124th and
125th New York State Legislature The 125th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 1 to March 27, 1902, during the second year of Benjamin B. Odell, Jr.'s governorship, in Albany. Background Under t ...
s (all seven 50th D.). While in the Senate, he served on various committees and was "Chairman of the Finance Committee for a longer period than any other man." In 1888, he was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in Chicago that resulted in the nomination of former Senator
Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...
of
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
for
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
and
Levi P. Morton Levi Parsons Morton (May 16, 1824 – May 16, 1920) was the 22nd vice president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He also served as United States ambassador to France, as a U.S. representative from New York, and as the 31st Governor of Ne ...
of New York, a former Congressman and Minister to France, for
Vice President A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...
. In 1902, Higgins was the successful Republican candidate for lieutenant governor against Democrat Charles N. Bulger (663,689 votes to 653,555 votes), and he served one term from 1903 to 1904. In what was considered the Republican Roosevelt wave, due to former New York Governor's
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
's election to the Presidency, Higgins was the successful
Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
nominee for governor in 1904, and he served one term from January 1905 to December 1906. He was succeeded by fellow Republican
Charles Evans Hughes Charles Evans Hughes Sr. (April 11, 1862 – August 27, 1948) was an American statesman, politician and jurist who served as the 11th Chief Justice of the United States from 1930 to 1941. A member of the Republican Party, he previously was the ...
(who later became the
U.S. Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...
and Chief Justice of the United States). Higgins was in ill health at the end of his term and died just six weeks after leaving office. In his obituary in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', it was said:
"The illness of ex-Gov. Higgins covers practically the whole of his administration of two years. His health was not robust when he was nominated for Governor in 1904, and it is but chronicling the truth to say that the campaign taxed him greatly. Following his election he was able to rest up, and for a time he felt better than in months. On assuming office, however, the cares of the Governorship wore on him and each month increased the pressure."


Personal life

On June 5, 1877, Higgins was married to Kate Corinne Noble (1855–1929), a daughter of Aaron Harrison Noble and Aldura (née Bell) Noble. They married in
Stanton, Michigan Stanton is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,417 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Montcalm County. It is located at the corners of four townships and incorporates land from each: Day Township to the nor ...
where Higgins was then in business. Together, they were the parents of: * Orrin Thrall Higgins (1879–1912) * Josephine Bell Higgins, who married Émile Lucien Hovelaque, the Inspector General of Public Instruction in France, in 1911. * Frank Harrison Higgins (1886–1937). * Clarence Noble Higgins (1890–1890), who died in infancy of Cholera Infantum. Among Higgins closest friends was Olean Mayor
Nicholas Van Vranken Franchot Nicholas Van Vranken Franchot (August 21, 1855 – May 6, 1943) was an American businessman and politician from New York. Life He was born on August 21, 1855, in Morris, Otsego County, New York, the son of Congressman Richard Franchot (1816–18 ...
, who served as the
New York State Superintendent of Public Works The office of Superintendent of Public Works was created by an 1876 amendment to the New York State Constitution. It abolished the canal commissioners and established that the Department of Public Works execute all laws relating to canal maintenan ...
during Higgins administration. Higgins died of heart disease in Olean on February 12, 1907. After an Episcopal burial service read at his residence, he was buried at Mount View Cemetery in Olean.
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
and Mrs. Roosevelt sent flowers, as did Governor Hughes and many other prominent people. Higgins estate was valued at $1,250,000, considerably less than the $15,000,000 estimated around his death. His wife died at the Higgins residence, 128 South Street in Olean, in May 1929.


Legacy

Higgins official portrait as Governor of New York was painted by
Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...
native,
Eugene Speicher Eugene (Edward) Speicher NA (April 5, 1883 – May 11, 1962) was an American portrait, landscape, and figurative painter. He was one of the foremost realists of his generation who closely upheld the mantle of his mentor, Robert Henri. Biography ...
. A biography of Higgins's life was written by William Gabler, entitled ''Frank Wayland Higgins: New York’s Forgotten Governor''.


References


External links

*
Gov. Frank W. Higgins
at the
New York State Archives The New York State Archives is a unit of the Office of Cultural Education within the New York State Education Department, with its main facility located in the Cultural Education Center on Madison Avenue in Albany, New York, United States. The Ne ...
.
Political papers of Frank Wayland Higgins
at the
New York State Archives The New York State Archives is a unit of the Office of Cultural Education within the New York State Education Department, with its main facility located in the Cultural Education Center on Madison Avenue in Albany, New York, United States. The Ne ...
. {{DEFAULTSORT:Higgins, Frank W 1856 births 1907 deaths Republican Party governors of New York (state) Republican Party New York (state) state senators Lieutenant Governors of New York (state) People from Rushford, New York 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American Episcopalians