Earl Higgerson

Earl Higgerson was a Colorado candidate for the Prohibition Party in most elections from 1978 through 1992. He was the nominal Treasurer of the Prohibition National Committee from 1983 to 1993. I am honored that he has been my friend, my host, and my houseguest. The following biographical sketch has been abstracted from many pages of Earl's personal recollections.

Earl Higgerson was born near Ava, Illinois (east of St. Louis) on 13 July 1915. His parents were clean-living folks who raised Earl to avoid tobacco, alcohol, and foul language. He attended a one-room country school near Ava, quitting after the 7th grade.
      Higgerson met his wife-to-be, Dena Mae Crisler, at a teen gathering in 1934. She was 15, he was 18. Higgerson relates that Dena had never dated another boy and that he, himself, had never been so strongly attracted to another girl. On 1 April 1935, they went before a Justice of the Peace in Murphysboro, Illinois and "became sweethearts forever." In another letter, Earl says, "My sweetheart and I started our life, as one, on a borrowed ten-dollar bill and a temporary job which was paying 75 cents per day."
      In those early, Depression years, Earl worked at construction, delivered block ice to homes, and generally took whatever work he could find. Meanwhile, Dena presented him with five children: Dorothy, Gerald, Raymond, Ruth, and Earl, Jr. The Higgersons now have 9 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchildren, and 6 great-great-grandchildren.
Earl did well enough that, in 1946, he was able to start an electrical contracting and appliance business in Ava. The business prospered. However, Earl was afflicted with a chronic sinus disorder, and, in 1954, the Higgersons relocated to Lakewood, Colorado, hoping that the drier climate would be more comfortable for him.
      Sometime in 1936, Earl says, they chanced onto Rev. Sam Morris' radio program "The Voice of Temperance." Thereafter, they made a practice of listening to Morris' program, became subscribers to his "National Voice," and contributed to his work. They "agreed never to permit beverage alcohol inside" their home.
      Earl once described in his personal newsletter how his father's brother died of alcoholism and how his mother's sister had to be supported by relatives, because her husband drank up his paycheck. When he was a very young child, his father told him about a "political party that, if elected, would put a stop to this nonsense of the Devil. By the time I was old enough to enter grade school, I had resolved to someday, if possible, to become a part of this group."
      The Higgersons eventually lost track of Sam Morris, but they always remembered the Prohibition Party. Earl continued working as an electrician after moving to Colorado, and he clearly remembers sitting one day, flat on the floor of a construction job, "eating lunch and thinking. In front of me was a telephone sitting on a directory. I picked up the directory, turned to political parties,' and there it was. Within two minutes I was talking to the friendly voice of Earl Dodge. Within 24 hours I met him and shook his hand."
      Higgerson felt he could trust Dodge unquestioningly. He began giving Dodge regular donations in 1975, with the enthusiastic assent of his wife. He began doing handyman jobs around the office.
Dodge rewarded him by helping him run for various state offices: for Lt. Governor (with Dodge) in 1978 (2198 votes / 0.27%), for Senator in 1980 (7265 votes / 0.62%), for Lt. Governor with Dodge again in 1982 (3496 votes / 0.37%), for Senator again in 1984 (1376 votes / 0.11%), for Lt. Governor with Dodge a third time in 1986 (8183 votes / 0.78%, for Lt. Governor (with David Livingston) in 1990 (7907 votes / 0.78%), and as a write-in candidate for Congressional District 6 in 1992.
      Dodge also persuaded him to be the nominal Treasurer of the Prohibition National Committee. Higgerson was listed as "Treasurer" from 1983 until 1993, but, he says, Dodge never allowed him to sign the check card at the bank, to handle any money, or to see the list of donors. This seemed strange, and when Higgerson finally mentioned it to his lawyer, the lawyer told him to get out of there, immediately.
      Earl resigned as PNC Treasurer, then began badgering Dodge for an explanation of this unusual arrangement; Earl's relatives began worrying about what legal consequences Earl might face as a result of actions Dodge may have taken in Earl's name. Dodge, however, consistently refused to discuss the matter.
      Earl then discovered that Dodge had another financial operation, in addition to the Prohibition National Committee: The National Prohibition Foundation. When Higgerson asked Dodge about the Foundation, Dodge told him that it was "none of your business."
      Earl began publishing a personal newsletter for Prohibition Party members, airing his concerns for the future of the organization. At about the same time, Dodge's management style came under attack by Alabama Prohibitionist Don Webb, who also started a personal newsletter. Higgerson and Webb joined forces, then managed to contact Pennsylvania Prohibitionist Jim Hedges, a third Party stalwart who had become dissatisfied with Dodge's management of the Prohibition National Committee.
      Higgerson, Webb, and Hedges formed the nucleus of the (informal) Action! Prohibitionists Caucus, which closely monitored what Dodge did or did not do as the leader of the Prohibition Party and tried to stand in the gap when Dodge's leadership was wanting. Ten years later, in 2003, the agitation begun by Earl Higgerson culminated in the September convention which ousted Dodge as National Chairman and set in motion the revitalization of the Prohibition Party.
Even though Dodge has never offered an explanation for his peculiar treatment of Higgerson, Earl says he still considers Dodge to be his friend. It is the sorrowful love one has for a wayward child, however, not the pride and admiration one has for a compatriot.
      Earl and Dena Higgerson were financial mainstays of the Prohibition National Committee for 20 years. They have since given generously to the Action! Prohibitionists Caucus and to the (new) National Prohibition Foundation. Earl helped carry our Party's banner in Colorado for 15 years. The Prohibition Party has been blessed to have such dedicated foot soldiers as Earl and Dena Higgerson!
     Earl Higgerson died on 5 July 2007, at an assisted care facility in Arvada Colorado.  His wife preceeded him in death.