 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "John P. Higgins" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(April 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
John Patrick Higgins | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's11th district | |
| In office January 3, 1935 – September 30, 1937 | |
| Preceded by | John J. Douglass |
| Succeeded by | Thomas A. Flaherty |
| Member of theMassachusetts House of Representatives | |
| In office 1929-1934 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1893-02-19)February 19, 1893 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | August 2, 1955(1955-08-02) (aged 62) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Spouse | Elinor McNamara |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | Harvard University Boston University Law School Northeastern College of Law |
| Profession | Chemist, Attorney, Jurist |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1917–1919 |
| Rank | Ensign |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
John Patrick Higgins (February 19, 1893 – August 2, 1955) was an officer in theUnited States Navy,chemist, attorney, andU.S. Representative fromMassachusetts.
Higgins was born inBoston, Massachusetts, where he attended the public schools and graduated fromHarvard University in 1917. During theFirst World War, he served as anEnsign in the United States Navy from 1917 until 1919. Returning to civilian life, Higgins was employed as a chemist from 1919 until 1922. He then resumed his academic studies, enrolling in theBoston University Law School andNortheastern College of Law in 1925 and 1926. He was admitted to the bar in 1927 and commenced practice in Boston.
Entering politics, Higgins was a member of theMassachusetts House of Representatives from 1929 through 1934. He was elected as aDemocrat to theSeventy-fourth Congress, was unopposed in his re-election to theSeventy-fifth Congress and served from January 3, 1935, until his resignation on September 30, 1937.
Higgins was appointed by Gov.Charles F. Hurley on October 1, 1937, as chief justice of theMassachusetts Superior Court,[1] in which capacity he served until his death in 1955. He was the first Irish Catholic to be chief justice and the youngest person ever appointed to the post.[1] He was aKnight of Columbus.[1]
Appointed in January 1946 by the Justice Department with the approval of President Truman to be the United States judge on the 11 countryInternational Military Tribunal for the Far East atTokyo, Japan, Judge Higgins resigned in June 1946 to return to his family and his duties as Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court.
During his Congressional career, Congressman Higgins advocated for improved working conditions and benefits in America and against religious persecution in Mexico.
Higgins died in Boston and was interred inSt. Joseph Cemetery,West Roxbury, Massachusetts.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's 11th congressional district January 3, 1935 – September 30, 1937 | Succeeded by |
| Legal offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court October 1, 1937 – August 2, 1955 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by None | judge of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East January 3, 1946 – June 1946 | Succeeded by None |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
