H B Higgins Scholarship

About the donor

The donor, the Honourable Henry Bournes Higgins KC (1851-1929), politician and judge, was born in 1851 at Newtownards, Down, Ireland, and the family moved to Melbourne in 1870. Starting his education in Ireland and after emigrating, studying at the University of Melbourne where he graduated in law (LL.B., 1874; M.A., 1876). Higgins had an outstanding record at university in languages, logic, history, political economy and Shakespeare. He practised at the Melbourne bar from 1876, eventually becoming one of the city's leading barristers and a Kings Counsel in 1903. He was active in liberal, radical, and Irish nationalist politics, as well as in many civic organisations. He was also a noted classical scholar.

In 1885, Higgins married Mary Alice Morrison. They had one child, Mervyn Bournes (1887-1916) also an alum of the University of Melbourne. Once his success at the Bar was established, Higgins turned to public affairs. Holding public office at a colonial level in the late 1800s and moving to Federal politics in 1901, which ultimately led to a position as a Justice of the High Court of Australia from 1906 to 1929.

Higgins maintained a broad range of cultural interests. He served on the Council of the University of Melbourne in 1887-1923, supporting the admission of female graduates to all privileges and advocating a university extension system. He was privately generous in financial support of students and in 1904 provided a gift for a poetry scholarship. Poetry was his particular love. As early as 1885 he lectured to the Melbourne University Union on 'The Muses in Australia', and he was quick to recognize the contribution of the Bulletin to Australian literature. Alfred Deakin acknowledged him as 'one of the parents; if not the chief parent' of the Commonwealth Literary Fund. His strong ties with his niece Nettie Palmer helped to sustain these Australian cultural interests.

After his death in 1929, Higgins was remembered for many years as a great friend of the labour movement, of the Irish-Australian community and of liberal and progressive causes generally. At the time, the Argus described him as a 'jurist and statesman'.