Edward Riggs
Encyclopedia
Edward Riggs was a political reporter for The Sun (New York). His full name was Edward Gridley Riggs. After retiring from The Sun in 1913 Riggs became an executive assistant to the president of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. Riggs was born in New York City
and died at his home at 38 South Portland Avenue, Brooklyn, New York. His father, James W. Riggs, was the financial editor of the New York Courier-Enquirer and later The Sun.
. He moved on to write about politics for The Sun. He frequently attended both national and state political conventions. Riggs befriended a number of important political figures of his era. Among his friends included Presidents William McKinley
, Theodore Roosevelt
, William Howard Taft
, and Grover Cleveland
.
His tenure with the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad involved him serving as an intermediary between newspapers in the United States
and the company's
president. Continuing to follow political events, Riggs contributed political and financial articles to Harper's Weekly
, The Bookman (New York)
, Everybody's Magazine, the North American Review
, The Forum, and Munsey's Magazine
,
and other political magazines.
In 1912 he was named by Governor John Adams Dix
to the New York City Public Service Commission. He was never confirmed in part because of opponents in
Tammany Hall
who considered Riggs a member of the Republican Party
. Riggs considered himself to be an Independent
.
.
holidays in 1923. Funeral services were conducted from St. Ann's Church, Clinton and Livingston Streets, in Brooklyn.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and died at his home at 38 South Portland Avenue, Brooklyn, New York. His father, James W. Riggs, was the financial editor of the New York Courier-Enquirer and later The Sun.
Career
Riggs began his newspaper career by writing about financial and commercial subjects for the New York WorldNew York World
The New York World was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers...
. He moved on to write about politics for The Sun. He frequently attended both national and state political conventions. Riggs befriended a number of important political figures of his era. Among his friends included Presidents William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
, Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
, William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
, and Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
.
His tenure with the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad involved him serving as an intermediary between newspapers in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the company's
president. Continuing to follow political events, Riggs contributed political and financial articles to Harper's Weekly
Harper's Weekly
Harper's Weekly was an American political magazine based in New York City. Published by Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916, it featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many subjects, and humor...
, The Bookman (New York)
The Bookman (New York)
The Bookman was a literary journal established in 1895 by Dodd, Mead and Company. It drew its name from the phrase, "I am a Bookman," by James Russell Lowell; the phrase regularly appeared on the cover and title page of the bound edition. It was purchased in 1918 by the George H. Doran Company. In...
, Everybody's Magazine, the North American Review
North American Review
The North American Review was the first literary magazine in the United States. Founded in Boston in 1815 by journalist Nathan Hale and others, it was published continuously until 1940, when publication was suspended due to J. H. Smyth, who had purchased the magazine, being unmasked as a Japanese...
, The Forum, and Munsey's Magazine
Munsey's Magazine
Munsey's Weekly, later known as Munsey's Magazine was a thirty-six page quarto magazine founded by Frank A. Munsey in 1889. Munsey aimed at "a magazine of the people and for the people, with pictures and art and good cheer and human interest throughout". John Kendrick Bangs was the editor. The...
,
and other political magazines.
In 1912 he was named by Governor John Adams Dix
John Adams Dix
John Adams Dix was an American politician from New York. He served as Secretary of the Treasury, U.S. Senator, and the 24th Governor of New York. He was also a Union major general during the Civil War.-Early life and career:...
to the New York City Public Service Commission. He was never confirmed in part because of opponents in
Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall
Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society...
who considered Riggs a member of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. Riggs considered himself to be an Independent
Independent (voter)
An independent voter, those who register as an unaffiliated voter in the United States, is a voter of a democratic country who does not align him- or herself with a political party...
.
Personal life
In 1878 he married Elizabeth S. Brown of Forestville, Connecticut. Riggs was a member of the Lotos, Barnard, Manhattan, and Newspaper Clubs. He was also affiliated with the Pilgrims SocietyPilgrims Society
The Pilgrims Society, founded in 1902, is a British-American society established, in the words of American diplomat Joseph Choate, 'to promote good-will, good-fellowship, and everlasting peace between the United States and Great Britain'...
.
Death
Riggs succumbed to an illness which began during the ChristmasChristmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
holidays in 1923. Funeral services were conducted from St. Ann's Church, Clinton and Livingston Streets, in Brooklyn.