Frank G. Higgins
Encyclopedia
Francis Grant "Frank" Higgins (December 28, 1864 – October 15, 1905) was an American football
player, lawyer and politician. He played college football
at the University of Michigan
. He was the first native-born person from Montana to become a member of the state's bar and of the state's legislature. He served in the Montana House of Representatives
and was elected as the mayor of Missoula, Montana
in 1892. He was the Lieutenant Governor of Montana
from 1901 to 1905.
, near the site of what would become Missoula, Montana
. He was the son of Julia Grant and Christopher Powers Higgins (1830-1889), an early Montana pioneer and the founder of the city of Missoula. He attended the public schools of Missoula and graduated in 1881 from the military school in Faribault, Minnesota
. He was sent east to attend the Phillips Exeter Academy
at Exeter, New Hampshire
.
Higgins subsequently enrolled at the University of Michigan
where he studied law and played college football
as a forward for the undefeated 1885 Michigan Wolverines football team
.
upon Montana's admission to the United States starting in 1889. He served in both the first and second sessions of the Montana legislature.
Higgins is credited with the decision to locate the University of Montana at Missoula, having introduced the bill into the state legislature providing for the establishment of a state university in Missoula. He was elected as the mayor of Missoula in May 1892 and served a one-year term in that office. He was also a delegate from Montana to 1892 Democratic National Convention
.
During the Spanish–American War, Higgins served two years as a captain in Company F of the United States volunteers. He was a member of the Grisby Rough Riders during the Battle at Chicamauga. He was elected as the Lieutenant Governor of Montana
in 1900 and served in that office from 1901 to 1905. After being elected to the office in 1900, Higgins spoke of his campaign and said "he had tackled the sheep herders, cowboys, miners and lumber jacks, and, of course, liked the miners best of all."
Higgins died in October 1905 at St. Vincent's hospital
in Portland, Oregon
. He died from complications of diseases contracted while serving in the Spanish–American War. After suffering a relapse, he was taken to Portland in the hope that "the climatic conditions would help to remove the severe strain to his nervous system." At the time of his death, the Anaconda Standard, a major newspaper of the time in Montana, gave over a full page to tributes to the late lieutenant governor. One colleague noted: "Frank G. Higglns was a scholar, one who read a great deal and always of the best. The classics and works of political economy were his favorite books. He cared not for fiction, but dwelt on facts. He cared but little for poetry, save the poetry of the rushing mountain stream and the music of the wind through the trees of his native heath."
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player, lawyer and politician. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. He was the first native-born person from Montana to become a member of the state's bar and of the state's legislature. He served in the Montana House of Representatives
Montana House of Representatives
The Montana House of Representatives is, with the Montana Senate, one of the two houses of the Montana Legislature. Composed of 100 members, the House elects its leadership every two years.-Composition of the House:...
and was elected as the mayor of Missoula, Montana
Missoula, Montana
Missoula is a city located in western Montana and is the county seat of Missoula County. The 2010 Census put the population of Missoula at 66,788 and the population of Missoula County at 109,299. Missoula is the principal city of the Missoula Metropolitan Area...
in 1892. He was the Lieutenant Governor of Montana
Lieutenant Governor of Montana
Lieutenant Governor of Montana is an official in the state of Montana that ranks just below the Governor of Montana. The current lieutenant governor is John Bohlinger.-List of Lieutenant Governors:* John E. Rickards, Republican,...
from 1901 to 1905.
Early years
Higgins was born in 1864 at Hell Gate, MontanaHell Gate, Montana
Hell Gate is a ghost town at the western end of the Missoula Valley in Missoula County, Montana, United States...
, near the site of what would become Missoula, Montana
Missoula, Montana
Missoula is a city located in western Montana and is the county seat of Missoula County. The 2010 Census put the population of Missoula at 66,788 and the population of Missoula County at 109,299. Missoula is the principal city of the Missoula Metropolitan Area...
. He was the son of Julia Grant and Christopher Powers Higgins (1830-1889), an early Montana pioneer and the founder of the city of Missoula. He attended the public schools of Missoula and graduated in 1881 from the military school in Faribault, Minnesota
Faribault, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,818 people, 7,472 households, and 4,946 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,644.8 people per square mile . There were 7,668 housing units at an average density of 605.8 per square mile...
. He was sent east to attend the Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy
Phillips Exeter Academy is a private secondary school located in Exeter, New Hampshire, in the United States.Exeter is noted for its application of Harkness education, a system based on a conference format of teacher and student interaction, similar to the Socratic method of learning through asking...
at Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The town's population was 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood...
.
Higgins subsequently enrolled at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
where he studied law and played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
as a forward for the undefeated 1885 Michigan Wolverines football team
1885 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1885 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1885 college football season. The team compiled a 3–0 record and outscored its opponents by a combined score of 82 to 0. The team captain was Horace Prettyman.-Schedule:...
.
Legal and political career
After graduating from Michigan in 1886, Higgins returned to Missoula where he practiced law. He was the first person born in Montana to be admitted to the Montana state bar. In the late 1880s, he gave up the practice of law to become president of the Higgins Bank in Missoula. He subsequently began a political career and became the first native-born person from Montana to be elected to the Montana state legislature and as a mayor. He served in the Montana House of RepresentativesMontana House of Representatives
The Montana House of Representatives is, with the Montana Senate, one of the two houses of the Montana Legislature. Composed of 100 members, the House elects its leadership every two years.-Composition of the House:...
upon Montana's admission to the United States starting in 1889. He served in both the first and second sessions of the Montana legislature.
Higgins is credited with the decision to locate the University of Montana at Missoula, having introduced the bill into the state legislature providing for the establishment of a state university in Missoula. He was elected as the mayor of Missoula in May 1892 and served a one-year term in that office. He was also a delegate from Montana to 1892 Democratic National Convention
1892 Democratic National Convention
The 1892 Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago, Illinois, June 21-23, 1892 and renominated Grover Cleveland, who had been the party's standard-bearer in 1884 and 1888. This marked the first time a former president was renominated by a major party in 36 years . Adlai E...
.
During the Spanish–American War, Higgins served two years as a captain in Company F of the United States volunteers. He was a member of the Grisby Rough Riders during the Battle at Chicamauga. He was elected as the Lieutenant Governor of Montana
Lieutenant Governor of Montana
Lieutenant Governor of Montana is an official in the state of Montana that ranks just below the Governor of Montana. The current lieutenant governor is John Bohlinger.-List of Lieutenant Governors:* John E. Rickards, Republican,...
in 1900 and served in that office from 1901 to 1905. After being elected to the office in 1900, Higgins spoke of his campaign and said "he had tackled the sheep herders, cowboys, miners and lumber jacks, and, of course, liked the miners best of all."
Family and death
Higgins married Barbara Hayes from Ontario, Canada in September 1892. They had one son, Grant Higgins.Higgins died in October 1905 at St. Vincent's hospital
Providence St. Vincent Medical Center
Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, is a non-profit, acute care hospital in the Portland metropolitan area of the U.S. state of Oregon. The center is Providence Health & Services’s largest Oregon hospital. St...
in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. He died from complications of diseases contracted while serving in the Spanish–American War. After suffering a relapse, he was taken to Portland in the hope that "the climatic conditions would help to remove the severe strain to his nervous system." At the time of his death, the Anaconda Standard, a major newspaper of the time in Montana, gave over a full page to tributes to the late lieutenant governor. One colleague noted: "Frank G. Higglns was a scholar, one who read a great deal and always of the best. The classics and works of political economy were his favorite books. He cared not for fiction, but dwelt on facts. He cared but little for poetry, save the poetry of the rushing mountain stream and the music of the wind through the trees of his native heath."