James H. Higgins

James Henry Higgins (born January 22, 1876 in Lincoln , Rhode Island , † September 16, 1927 ) was an American politician and governor of the state of Rhode Island from 1907 to 1909 .

Early years and political advancement

James Higgins attended Brown University after Pawtucket High School until 1898 and then studied until 1900 at the law school of Georgetown University . He then became a partner in the law firm Fitzgerald and Higgins . Politically, he became a member of the Democratic Party . In 1901 he was elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives. Between 1902 and 1906 he was mayor of Pawtucket .

Governor of Rhode Island

In 1906, Higgins ran for governor of Rhode Island against incumbent George H. Utter . In the election campaign he promised to fight corruption and political clusters. He was in favor of the direct election of US Senators . In addition to Utter, his main opponent in the election campaign was the local leader of the Republican Party , Charles R. Brayton . Higgins won the election by 1,238 votes. To this day, he remains the youngest governor of Rhode Island when he took office.

Higgins held the governorship after re-election between January 1, 1907 and January 5, 1909. As a member of the reform wing of his party, he campaigned for better youth programs and women's suffrage . As already announced in his election manifesto, he was against corruption and lobbyists. In doing so, he fought against the aforementioned powerful Republican party leader, Charles Brayton, who had been behind the scenes for 40 years in politics in odd ways, using bribery and other illegal methods. After all, the governor achieved partial success by forcing Brayton to withdraw gradually. He did not succeed in bringing Brayton to court. In 1908, Higgins declined to run again.

Another résumé

After his governorship ended, Higgins returned to practice as a lawyer. He died in September 1927. James Higgins had two children with his wife, Ellen Frances Maguire.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Higgins, James H.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Higgins, James Henry (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	January 22, 1876
PLACE OF BIRTH	Lincoln , Rhode Island
DATE OF DEATH	September 16, 1927