John Gilbert (Jack) Higgins (May 7, 1891 – July 1, 1963) was a

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

politician,

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and lawyer.

Early life

Jack had an older sister, May. He was a child when his father died. Jack was educated from the age of five at Saint Bonaventure's College and was selected one of Newfoundland's

Rhodes Scholars The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Established in 1902, it is the oldest graduate scholarship in the world. It is considered among the world' ...

in 1909.Jack Higgins: Newfoundlander Through and Through
Memorial University of Newfoundland He studied law at

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of Oxford University, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the ...

and was captain of the Oxford-Canadian ice hockey team which toured Europe and was undefeated in its 17 matches, outscoring its opponents 204 goals to 17.

Career

In 1913 he was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

of Newfoundland and England and began practicing law in

St. John's, Newfoundland St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. The city spans and is the easternmost city in North America ...

. In 1916, he joined the

Canadian Corps The Canadian Corps was a World War I corps formed from the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1915 after the arrival of the 2nd Canadian Division in France. The corps was expanded by the addition of the 3rd Canadian Division in December ...

's St. Francis Xavier Hospital Unit and served for the remainder of World War I in England and France. After the war, Higgins returned to Newfoundland and established a law partnership with

Harry Winter Harry Winter (24 September 1914 - 3 December 2001), born Horst Winter, was a German-Austrian singer, musician and band director. Biography Born in Beuthen, Upper Silesia (present-day Bytom, Poland), his family moved to Berlin after the Silesian Up ...

in 1919.

Political ambitions

During the Newfoundland National Convention, Higgins opposed

Joey Smallwood Joseph Roberts Smallwood (December 24, 1900 – December 17, 1991) was a Newfoundlander and Canadian politician. He was the main force who brought the Dominion of Newfoundland into Canadian Confederation in 1949, becoming the first premier of ...

's resolution that Newfoundland join Canadian Confederation. He became a leading member of the Responsible Government League and campaigned against joining Canada in the

1948 Newfoundland referendums The Newfoundland referendums of 1948 were a series of two referendums to decide the political future of the Dominion of Newfoundland. Before the referendums, Newfoundland was in debt and went through several delegations to determine whether the co ...

. When Newfoundland joined Canada on March 31, 1949, Higgins hung black crepe on his door as a symbol of mourning. In Newfoundland's first provincial election on May 27, 1949, Higgins was elected to the

Newfoundland House of Assembly The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly is the unicameral deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It meets in the Confederation Building in St. Jo ...

as a Progressive Conservative from

St. John's East St. John's East (french: St. John's-Est; formerly known as St. John's North) is a federal electoral district in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1949. It covers a part of St ...

. As party leader

Harry Mews Henry George Reginald Mews (December 18, 1897 – January 6, 1982) was the eighth mayor of St. John's, Newfoundland and a political leader in the province. He was born in St. John's, the son of Arthur Mews, a civil servant, and Mabel Woods, the d ...

failed to win his seat, Higgins became the province's first

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

. Preferring his legal practice to politics, Higgins did not run for re-election in

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

. On January 15, 1959, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker appointed Higgins as Newfoundland's first Progressive Conservative member of the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The Senate is modelled after the B ...

, where he served until his death in 1963.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Higgins, John Gilbert 1891 births 1963 deaths Ice hockey people from Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland Rhodes Scholars Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and Labrador MHAs Politicians from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Sportspeople from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Canadian senators from Newfoundland and Labrador Alumni of Merton College, Oxford Canadian Army personnel Canadian military personnel of World War I Newfoundland and Labrador political party leaders Canadian sportsperson-politicians Dominion of Newfoundland people