Robert J. Higgins (born January 13, 1934) is a supernumerary justice on the

Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick The Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick (in French: ''Cour du Banc du Roi du Nouveau-Brunswick'') is the superior trial court of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Structure The Court of King's Bench of New Brunswick consists of a ...

and a former member of the

Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick A legislature is an deliberative assembly, assembly with the authority to make laws for a Polity, political entity such as a Sovereign state, country or city. They are often contrasted with the Executive (government), executive and Judiciary, ...

who served as the leader of the

New Brunswick Liberal Party The New Brunswick Liberal Association (french: Association libérale du Nouveau-Brunswick), more popularly known as the New Brunswick Liberal ''Party'' or Liberal Party of New Brunswick, is one of the two major provincial political parties in New ...

from 1971 to 1978. Robert Higgins was born in Saint John in 1934. He graduated from

St. Francis Xavier University St. Francis Xavier University is a public undergraduate liberal arts university located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a member of the Maple League, a group of primarily undergraduate universities in Eastern Canada. History St. Franc ...

in 1956 then earned a

law degree A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Such degrees are generally preparation for legal careers. But while their curricula may be reviewed by legal authority, they do not confer a license themselves. A legal license is gra ...

in 1960 from the

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universities in North Americ ...

. While practising law in the city of

Saint John, New Brunswick Saint John is a seaport city of the Atlantic Ocean located on the Bay of Fundy in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Saint John is the oldest incorporated city in Canada, established by royal charter on May 18, 1785, during the reign of Ki ...

, Higgins turned to politics and in the 1967 provincial election was the only successful Liberal Party candidate in the seven Saint John city ridings. He served in the 46th New Brunswick Legislative Assembly and on April 1, 1968, was appointed to the

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

Louis Robichaud as Minister of Economic Development. On February 11, 1970, he was appointed Minister of Municipal Affairs, serving until November 12 of that year when he was personally reelected in

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

but when his party lost power.

Party leader

Following the defeat of his governing Liberals under the leader and Premier Louis Robichaud, Higgins was voted the party's leader and became Leader of the official opposition in the Legislative Assembly. He led the party to a plurality of the popular votes cast in the 1974 provincial election, but lost in total seats to the governing Progressive Conservative Party of Premier

Richard Hatfield Richard Bennett Hatfield (April 9, 1931 – April 26, 1991) was a New Brunswick politician and the longest serving premier of New Brunswick from 1970 to 1987.Richard Starr, ''Richard Hatfield, The Seventeen Year Saga,'' 1987, Early life T ...

who earned strong support from the

Acadian The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the de ...

community. Prior to the 1978 election, Higgins staked his reputation and his position as party leader on an assertion that Premier Hatfield was personally involved in a scandal. The accusation could not be proven and Higgins stepped down as party leader in favor of Joseph Daigle. After leaving politics, Higgins returned to the practise of law and would be appointed a justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of New Brunswick in Saint John. Since April 1999 he has been a justice with supernumerary status. In 2006, Robert Higgins was inducted in

Hall of Honor. Higgins was also awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of New Brunswick.

Personal life

Robert Higgins is married to Rosemary Higgins eenan They have four children.

References

External links

Court of Queen's Bench of New Brunswick

{{DEFAULTSORT:Higgins, Robert J. 1934 births Living people Lawyers in New Brunswick Judges in New Brunswick Politicians from Saint John, New Brunswick St. Francis Xavier University alumni University of New Brunswick alumni New Brunswick Liberal Association MLAs Members of the Executive Council of New Brunswick New Brunswick Liberal Association leaders University of New Brunswick Faculty of Law alumni