William Lincoln Higgins (March 8, 1867 – November 19, 1951) was an American politician, physician, and

US Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

from 1933 to 1937. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

from

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...

, Higgins also served four years as

Secretary of the State of Connecticut The secretary of the State of Connecticut is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Connecticut. (The definite article is part of the legal job title.) It is an elected position in the state government and has a term length of four ...

and several terms in the

Connecticut General Assembly The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. Th ...

Biography

Born in

Chesterfield, Massachusetts Chesterfield is a rural hill town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, east of Pittsfield and west of Boston. The population was 1,186 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical ...

, Higgins attended the public schools of Chesterfield and Northampton and

Deerfield Academy Deerfield Academy is an elite coeducational preparatory school in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1797, it is one of the oldest secondary schools in the United States. It is a member of the Eight Schools Association, the Ten Schools Admis ...

. He graduated from the medical department of the University of the City of New York in 1890 and commenced the practice of medicine in

Willington, Connecticut Willington is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 5,566 at the 2020 census. The Willimantic River borders the town on the west. Willington is about 25 miles northeast of Hartford on Interstate 84, which also ...

, the same year. He moved to South Coventry, Connecticut, in 1891. Higgins served in the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...

1905–1907, 1917, 1919–1921, and 1925–1927. He served as member of the

State Senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

from 1909–1911. He was the first selectman of Coventry, Connecticut, from 1917–1932. He was the county commissioner of

Tolland County, Connecticut Tolland County is a county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, its population was 149,788. It is incorporated into 13 towns and was originally formed on 13 October 1785 from portions of eastern Ha ...

, from 1921–1932. He served as Secretary of the State of Connecticut from 1929–1933. He was a delegate to the Republican National Conventions of 1928, 1932, and 1936. Higgins was elected as a Republican to the Seventy-third and Seventy-fourth US Congresses (March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1937). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1936 to the Seventy-fifth Congress. After exiting politics, he resumed the practice of medicine in Coventry. He died in Norwich, Connecticut, on . His remains were cremated and interred in Chesterfield Center Cemetery in Chesterfield.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Higgins, William Lincoln 1867 births 1951 deaths People from Chesterfield, Massachusetts Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut Secretaries of the State of Connecticut Republican Party Connecticut state senators Republican Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives County commissioners in Connecticut County officials in Connecticut New York University Grossman School of Medicine alumni People from Coventry, Connecticut