John Gilbert Higgins

The Honourable
John G. Higgins
KC
Higgins in 1952
Senator for St. John's East, Newfoundland
In office
January 15, 1959 (1959-01-15) – July 1, 1963 (1963-07-01)
Nominated byJohn Diefenbaker
Appointed byVincent Massey
Leader of the Opposition in Newfoundland and Labrador
In office
November 8, 1949 (1949-11-08) – 1951
Preceded byHarry Mews
Succeeded byPeter Cashin
Member of the
Newfoundland House of Assembly
for St. John's East
In office
May 27, 1949 (1949-05-27) – November 26, 1951 (1951-11-26)
Serving with Frank Fogwill
Preceded byGerald G. Byrne (pre-Confederation)
Edward Emerson (pre-Confederation)
Succeeded byJames D. Higgins
Personal details
Born(1891-05-07)May 7, 1891
St. John's, Newfoundland Colony
DiedJuly 1, 1963(1963-07-01) (aged 72)
St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada
PartyProgressive Conservative
Other political
affiliations
Responsible Government League
Spouse
Alice Casey
​
(m. 1929)​
Children3
EducationSaint Bonaventure's College
Merton College
OccupationLawyer
Military service
Allegiance Canada
Branch/serviceCanadian Expeditionary Force
Years of service
1916-1918
Battles/warsFirst World War

John Gilbert Higgins KC (May 7, 1891 – July 1, 1963) was a Canadian lawyer and politician from Newfoundland.

Early life

Higgins was born in St. John's, Newfoundland as the son of John J. Higgins and Hannah (née O'Grady) Higgins. He had an older sister, May. Following his father's death, Jack was educated from the age of five at Saint Bonaventure's College and was selected one of Newfoundland's Rhodes Scholars in 1909. He studied law at Merton College, Oxford, where his roommate was Robert Moses, 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 of Newfoundland and England and began practicing law in St. John's. In 1916, he joined the Canadian Corps'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 in 1919.

Political ambitions

During the Newfoundland National Convention, Higgins opposed Joey Smallwood'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. 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 as a Progressive Conservative from St. John's East. As party leader Harry Mews failed to win his seat, Higgins became the province's first Leader of the Opposition. Preferring his legal practice to politics, Higgins did not run for re-election in 1951.

On January 15, 1959, Prime Minister John Diefenbaker appointed Higgins as Newfoundland's first Progressive Conservative member of the Senate of Canada, where he served until his death in 1963.

References

  1. ↑ Newfoundland Who's Who 1952. St. John's, NL: Newfoundland Who's Who 1952. 1952. p. 48. Retrieved 13 August 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Jack Higgins: Newfoundlander Through and Through, Memorial University of Newfoundland
  3. ↑ Caro, Robert A. (1974). The Power Broker. Vintage Books. p. 50.
  4. 1 2 3 Levens, R.G.C., ed. (1964). Merton College Register 1900-1964. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. p. 72.