Guide to the Edward J. Higgins papers, 1935-1976

Phillips Memorial Library
Archives and Special Collections
1 Cunningham Square
Providence, RI 02918
Tel: 401-865-2578
Fax: 401-865-1578
Email: pcarchives@providence.edu
Website: https://pml.providence.edu/

Published in 2010

Collection Overview

Title:	Edward J. Higgins papers
Date range:	1935-1976
Creator:	Edward J. Higgins
Extent:	(2.0 linear feet)
Abstract:	The papers of Edward J. Higgins consist of correspondence, baseball memorabilia, Democratic National Convention memorabilia, news clippings, and investigative reports concerning the 1939-1940 wire tapping case involving RI Governor William Henry Vanderbilt and Pawtucket City Mayor Thomas McCoy.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	Phillips Memorial Library
Collection number:	rppc_higgins

Scope & content

The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence, news clipping, and investigative reports concerning the the 1939-1940 wire tapping case involving RI Governor William Henry Vanderbilt and Pawtucket City Mayor Thomas McCoy. These materials detail the progression of the investigation and include hearing testimony, photographs, police reports, and copies of telephone logs of the wire taps.

The collection also contains personal correspondence, plus an assortment of campaign memorabilia Higgins collected as a Democratic Delegate at the National Conventions from 1940-1964.

Access Points

Subject Names

• Altieri, Alice LaFond, 1894-1976
• Green, Theodore Francis, 1867-1966
• Humphrey, Hubert H. (Hubert Horatio), 1911-1978
• Johnson, Lyndon B. (Lyndon Baines), 1908-1973
• Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963
• Pell, Claiborne, 1918-
• Truman, Harry S., 1884-1972

Subject Names

• Roberts, Dennis Joseph, 1903-1994

Subject Topics

• Governors -- Rhode Island

Geographical Names

• Rhode Island -- Politics and government -- 1865-1950
• Rhode Island -- Politics and government -- 1951-

Subject Topics

• Government, Politics and Law

Document Types

• clippings
• letters (correspondence)
• passes (tickets)
• souvenir programs
• audiotapes
• photographs
• official reports

Arrangement

The collection is divided into three series.

• Correspondence, 1943-1976
• The Wiretapping Case, 1939-1940
• Subject Files, 1935-1976

Biographical note

Born in 1894 the son of Irish catholic immigrants and a high school graduate of his hometown of Warren, RI, Edward J. “Rip” Higgins for years in the mid-20th century was known as the administrative assistant to U.S. Senator Theodore Francis Green and Warren’s political boss.

But his early fame came in baseball. At the age of 8 Higgins organized a team known as the North End Gang and in 1915 he served as assistant manager of the Warren Shoe team that won the Manufacturers League title. In the early 1920s, the Little World Series between Warren and Bristol was in its heyday, with both towns bringing in out-of-town stars — even major-leaguers — to buttress their chances. Rip and his cousin Jigger Higgins boosted the talent levels of Warren’s teams to win three of four series from 1920-23.

In 1925 Rip organized a Warren/Bristol team that competed against other “fast” teams in New England. And when Warren High School won championships in the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s, Rip always ensured they were properly honored — in 1946 he donated silver baseballs for the team members who won the Class C and state baseball championships.

As a young man, Higgins was a volunteer fireman and served during World War II as a Navy pharmacist mate on a troop ship. It was while Rip was in the Navy his brother, Johnny Higgins, who also was in the Navy succumbed to the flu. After the war Higgins took a job at Smith’s Drug Store in Warren that was a popular meeting place for Warren democrats.

However, in 1922 Higgins went to work for the Providence News, a Democratic paper owned by RI Senator Peter G. Gerry. In the meantime Higgins became a member of the Democratic State Committee, a position he held for forty-two years.

In 1930 Higgins’ passion for and involvement in state politics brought him in contact with Theodore Francis Green who when running for governor. Higgins correctly gauged the mood of the voters and predicted Green’s loss at the ballot box. Green was so impressed by Higgins’ political savvy that he asked Higgins to be his campaign manager for the 1932 election. Green won that election by more than 30,000 votes and offered Eddie the job of executive secretary. Eddie eventually accepted the position and when Green ran for the U.S. Senate in 1936 and won, he took Higgins with him to Washington.

For the next 25 years, from 1936 until 1960 when Green retired, Eddie Higgins remained a loyal confidant, advisor, and right-hand man to Green. During this time, Higgins, while remaining in the background working tirelessly for his boss, became friends with many influential politicians such as Lyndon Johnson and John O. Pastore.

Senator Sparkman of Alabama, paying one of the highest complements possible, spoke of the relationship between Green & Higgins saying "Higgins played the ideal role. He was loyal as any Senator could ask and a good deal smarter than most of us." When Senator Green retired in 1960, Higgins returned home to Rhode Island and remained active in local Warren politics until his death in 1979.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	Collection is open for research by appointment. Materials do not circulate. Some materials may be restricted, for further information contact the Archives and Special Collections, Phillips Memorial Library, Providence College.
Use of the materials:	Researchers are advised that express written permission to reproduce, quote, or otherwise publish any portion or extract from this collection must be obtained from the Phillips Memorial Library. Although Providence College has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Preferred citation:	Edward J. Higgins papers, Providence College, Phillips Memorial Library, Archives and Special Collections.
Contact information:	Phillips Memorial Library Archives and Special Collections 1 Cunningham Square Providence, RI 02918 Tel: 401-865-2578 Fax: 401-865-1578 Email: pcarchives@providence.edu Website: https://pml.providence.edu/

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	The collection was donated to Providence College in January of 1981 by the executor of Higgins estate.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Russell Franks.
Encoding:	Finding aid encoded by Russell M. Franks 2010
Descriptive rules:	Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Related material:	For additional reading concerning the 1939-1940 wire tapping case involving RI Governor William Henry Vanderbilt and Pawtucket City Mayor Thomas McCoy see: Political Rivalry in Rhode Island: William H. Vanderbilt vs. J. Howard McGrath: The Wiretapping Case by Debra A. Mulligan, Historical Journal of Massachusetts, Volume XXXV, Winter 2007, pages 52-77.
Separated material:	No materials have been removed from this collection.

Inventory

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