Early & Personal Life
John Woodman Higgins was born to Milton Prince Higgins (December 7, 1842 - March 8, 1912) and Katharine Elizabeth (Chaplin) Higgins. (December 11, 1847 - January 9, 1925) Except for one year in Atlanta, John Higgins was schooled in Worcester. He was poor in spelling and languages but shared his father's natural talent and interest in mathematics and mechanics. He also possessed a fascination with metalworking and spent many hours observing blacksmiths, farmers and factory workers at work. Like many of his contemporaries, he was also enchanted by the chivalric tales of knights, a common literary theme at the time. After graduating from Worcester Polytechnic Institute he joined the Plunger Elevator Company with his father. When the company was sold, the two men purchased the Worcester Ferrule and Manufacturing Company, reorganizing it in 1905 as Worcester Pressed Steel Company. When his father died in 1912, John Higgins became president and treasurer, positions he held until 1950 when his oldest son took over. He travelled many times to Europe. He had purchased some copies of armor but in 1928 he purchased a group of armors from Sir Joseph Duveen. This was his first truly significant acquisition and was followed by several equally important purchases during the next decade. He now realized he needed somewhere to house his collection. In 1928 he started work on a building next to the Worcester Pressed Steel Company. It was finished in 1931 at a cost of $300,000.00. It became the Higgins Armory Museum, which is the largest museum in the United States solely devoted to armor.
Higgins was married to Clara Louise Carter (July 2, 1882 – March 2, 1972) and had one child, Mary Louise. Clara Louise was born in Saint Louis County, Missouri and died in Worcester County, Massachusetts. She is buried in Rural Cemetery. (Worcester, Massachusetts) Mary Louise (May 8, 1919 – December 18, 2007) later served as President for her fathers armory for a number of years. She was also the President and Chairman of the Board of Worcester Pressed Steel. She is buried in Rural Cemetery. (Worcester, Massachusetts)
Read more about this topic: John Woodman Higgins
Famous quotes containing the words personal life, early, personal and/or life:
“He hadn’t known me fifteen minutes, and yet he was ... ready to talk ... I was still to learn that Munshin, like many people from the capital, could talk openly about his personal life while remaining a dream of espionage in his business operations.”
—Norman Mailer (b. 1923)
“The science, the art, the jurisprudence, the chief political and social theories, of the modern world have grown out of Greece and Rome—not by favor of, but in the teeth of, the fundamental teachings of early Christianity, to which science, art, and any serious occupation with the things of this world were alike despicable.”
—Thomas Henry Huxley (1825–95)
“The whole effort of a sincere man is to erect his personal impressions into laws.”
—Rémy De Gourmont (1858–1915)
“One of the important things to learn about parenting is that the more you worry about a child, the less the child will worry about him- or herself....instead of worrying, watch with fascination and wonder as your child’s life unfolds, and help the child take responsibility for his or her own life.”
—Charlotte Davis Kasl (20th century)