H. B. Higgins facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Henry Bournes Higgins
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| Justice of the High Court of Australia | |
| In office 13 October 1906 – 13 January 1929 |
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| Nominated by | Alfred Deakin |
| Appointed by | Lord Northcote |
| Preceded by | none (new seat) |
| Succeeded by | Sir Owen Dixon |
| Attorney-General of Australia | |
| In office 27 April 1904 – 17 August 1904 |
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| Prime Minister | Chris Watson |
| Preceded by | James Drake |
| Succeeded by | Josiah Symon |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Northern Melbourne | |
| In office 30 March 1901 – 12 October 1906 |
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| Preceded by | Seat Created |
| Succeeded by | Seat Abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 June 1851 Newtownards, County Down, Ireland |
| Died | 13 January 1929 (aged 77) Dromana, Victoria, Australia |
| Political party | Protectionist |
| Spouse |
Mary Alice Morrison
(m. 1885) |
| Relations | Ina Higgins (sister) Nettie Palmer (niece) Esmonde Higgins (nephew) George Ernest Morrison (brother-in-law) |
Henry Bournes Higgins (KC) was an important Australian lawyer, politician, and judge. He was born on June 30, 1851, and passed away on January 13, 1929. He served as a judge on the High Court of Australia from 1906 until his death. Before that, he was briefly the Attorney-General of Australia in 1904.
Higgins was born in what is now Northern Ireland. When he was 18, his family moved to Australia. He worked as a schoolteacher while studying law at the University of Melbourne. In 1876, he became a lawyer in Victoria. He became well-known for supporting Irish Home Rule. He also helped create Australia's first federal constitution.
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Becoming a Lawyer and Politician
Henry Bournes Higgins was born in Newtownards, County Down, Ireland. His father, John Higgins, was a Methodist minister. His mother was Anne Bournes. His sister, Ina Higgins, was an early supporter of women's rights. His niece, Nettie Palmer, became a famous writer. In 1870, when Henry was 18, his family moved to Australia.
He studied at Wesley College in Ireland and later at the University of Melbourne. He became a lawyer in Melbourne in 1876. He was very successful and became a leading barrister, which is a type of lawyer who argues cases in court. In 1903, he became a KC, a special title for experienced lawyers. He was also interested in politics and was known for his knowledge of classical studies.
Early Political Career
In 1894, Higgins was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly. This was the parliament for the state of Victoria. He supported policies that helped workers and encouraged government investment in industries. He also supported votes for women.
In 1897, he was chosen to represent Victoria at the convention that wrote the Australian Constitution. He successfully argued that the constitution should not allow any official religion. He also pushed for the federal government to have the power to settle arguments between workers and employers that crossed state borders. This idea was very important later on.
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Opposing the Constitution
Even though he helped write parts of the constitution, Higgins did not like the final version. He felt it gave too much power to the states instead of creating a single, unified country. He also thought some people wanted federation just to protect local businesses from foreign competition. He campaigned against the new constitution in 1898 and 1899, but it was approved.
Higgins also spoke out against Australia joining the Second Boer War. This was an unpopular view at the time. Because of his strong opinions, he lost his seat in the Victorian parliament in 1900.
Joining Federal Politics
In 1901, Australia became a federation under the new constitution. Higgins was elected to the first Australian House of Representatives. He represented the area of Northern Melbourne. He was part of the Protectionist Party. The Labor Party did not run a candidate against him because they saw him as a supporter of workers' rights.
Attorney-General
In 1904, Chris Watson formed Australia's first federal Labor government. Since the Labor Party did not have a lawyer qualified for the job, Watson asked Higgins to be the Attorney-General of Australia. This made Higgins the only person to serve in a federal Labor government without actually being a member of the Labor Party.
Some people found Higgins difficult to work with because he was very careful. He would not sign any paper without a full explanation. He also did not attend parliament very often. However, his colleagues valued his contributions to government discussions.
Serving on the High Court
In 1906, Prime Minister Alfred Deakin appointed Higgins as a Justice of the High Court of Australia. This was a way to get him out of politics, but he was also very qualified for the role. The High Court is Australia's highest court.
In 1907, Higgins was also made President of the new Commonwealth Court of Conciliation and Arbitration. This court was created to help settle disagreements between workers' unions and employers. Higgins had long supported this idea. In this role, he continued to support the labour movement. However, he did not like unions that used strikes unfairly or ignored his rulings.
Higgins was one of only eight High Court judges who had served in the Parliament of Australia before their appointment.
The Harvester Case
In 1907, Higgins made a very important decision known as the "Harvester Judgement". This case involved Hugh Victor McKay, a large manufacturer of farm machinery. Higgins ruled that McKay had to pay his workers a wage that was "fair and reasonable." This meant a wage that allowed a person to live decently in a "civilised community." This decision led to the idea of a basic wage in Australia, which was very important for many years.
World War I and Later Years
During World War I, Higgins often disagreed with Prime Minister Billy Hughes. Higgins felt that Hughes was using the war to reduce people's civil liberties. Higgins supported the war at first, but he opposed the government's increased power. He also opposed Hughes's attempt to introduce conscription, which would force people to join the army.
In 1916, Higgins's only son, Mervyn, was killed in action in Egypt. This tragedy made Higgins turn even more against the war.
After the war, there were many difficult industrial disputes. Higgins continued to defend the idea of arbitration, which is settling disputes through a neutral third party. He disagreed with both the government and militant unions. In 1920, he resigned from the Arbitration Court out of frustration. However, he remained on the High Court until his death in 1929. In 1922, he wrote a book called A New Province for Law and Order, explaining his views on arbitration.
Family Life
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On December 19, 1885, Higgins married Mary Alice Morrison. She was the daughter of George Morrison, a headmaster. Their only child, Mervyn Bournes Higgins, was born in 1887. Sadly, Mervyn was killed in Egypt during World War I in 1916.
After his son's death, Higgins helped support his nephew, Esmonde Higgins, and his niece, Nettie Palmer. He paid for their education at universities in Europe. He was saddened when Esmonde became a Communist in 1920.
Outside of politics and law, Higgins was also the president of the Carlton Football Club in 1904.
Lasting Impact
Henry Bournes Higgins is remembered as a strong supporter of the labour movement and Irish-Australian community. He also championed liberal and progressive causes. His niece, Nettie Palmer, wrote a book about him in 1931, which helped create a lasting positive image of him.
Today, the federal voting area of Higgins in Melbourne is named after him. There is also a suburb in Canberra called Higgins.
