Harvey V. Higley

Harvey Higley
Administrator of Veterans Affairs
In office
July 22, 1953  November 13, 1957
President Dwight Eisenhower
Preceded by Carl Gray
Succeeded by Sumner Whittier
Personal details
Born Harvey Vanzandt Higley
(1893-02-12)February 12, 1893
Cheshire, Ohio, U.S.
Died October 15, 1986(1986-10-15) (aged 93)
Marinette, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political party Republican
Alma mater University of Wisconsin, Madison

Harvey Vanzandt Higley (October 26, 1892 – October 15, 1986)

Biography

He was born in Cheshire, Ohio, and studied chemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, graduating in October 1915.[1] After serving in World War I he went to work for the Ansul Chemical Company of Marinette, Wisconsin, which specialized in making fire retardant chemicals. Higley eventually became the company's president (1938–48)[2] and chairman of the board.[3]

Higley was also active in politics and veteran’s affairs. He joined the American Legion and served as Wisconsin State Commander from 1941 to 1942.[4] From 1947 to 1953 he was chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. In July 1953 President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed Higley to be the Administrator of Veterans Affairs,[5][6] where he helped to establish Veterans Day as a US Holiday.[7] Higley held the position until November 1957 when he retired and returned to Wisconsin.[5]

Higley died on October 15, 1986.[3]

References

Political offices
Preceded by
Carl Gray
Administrator of Veterans Affairs
1953–1957
Succeeded by
Sumner Whittier
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 5/31/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.