Electra Waggoner Biggs

Electra Waggoner Biggs (November 8, 1912 – April 23, 2001) was a Texas-born heiress, socialite and sculptor, widely known as owner of the Waggoner Ranch in Texas as well as her sculptures of Will Rogers, Dwight Eisenhower, Harry Truman, Bob Hope and Knute Rockne[1][2] — and for having both a plane, the Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprop,[3] and a car, the Buick Electra, named after her, the latter by her brother-in-law, Harlow H. Curtice, former president of Buick and later president of General Motors.[4]

Electra Waggoner Biggs
BornNovember 8, 1912
DiedApril 23, 2001(2001-04-23) (aged 88)
Resting placeWest Hill Cemetery, Sherman Texas
OccupationSculptor
Spouse(s)2, including John Biggs
ChildrenElectra, Helen
Parent(s)E. Paul Waggoner
Helen Waggoner
RelativesDaniel Waggoner (paternal great-grandfather)
William Thomas Waggoner (paternal grandfather)
Harlow H. Curtice (brother-in-law)
Gene Willingham (son-in-law)

Biography

Biggs was born on November 8, 1912 and was named after her aunt, Electra Waggoner,[2] after whom the town of Electra, Texas is named. Her father, E. Paul Waggoner, was an heir to the Waggoner Ranch in Texas.[5] Her mother Helen was a socialite.[5]

Biggs grew up in a privileged family and attended Miss Wright's Boarding School in Pennsylvania, where she discovered a love of art — later studying sculpture in New York and at the Sorbonne in Paris.[6] Ultimately becoming well-known as a sculptor,[5] a large collection of Biggs' works are featured at the Red River Valley Museum in Vernon, Texas.[7]

Riding into the Sunset, Will Rogers, Claremore, Oklahoma

Biggs married Gordon Bowman in 1933, divorcing two years later[6][5] — their wedding was photographed by Edward Steichen.[3] Her second husband, John Biggs, worked for International Paper[5] and together they had two daughters, Helen Biggs Willingham of Vernon, Texas and Electra (Ellie) Biggs Moulder of Jacksonville, Florida.[5][8] Helen married Gene Willingham, who became a controlling shareholder of the Waggoner Ranch.[5]

As well as living at the Waggoner Ranch, Biggs maintained a home at 4700 Preston Road in Dallas, designed by locally noted architect Anton Korn.[9] She died on April 23, 2001.

Sculptures

Most of the sculptures Biggs created were portraits. They include:[10]

References
  1. Pam Smith (April 25, 2001). "Will Rogers' statue artist dies at 88". Dailytoreador.com.
  2. "Waggoners History". Archived from the original on 2016-10-25. Retrieved 2012-04-23.
  3. Rubin, Dana (July 21, 2017). "The Texas 100: Money Becomes Electra". Texas Monthly.
  4. http://www.texasmonthly.com/content/showdown-waggoner-ranch?fullpage=1
  5. Gary Cartwright, Showdown at Waggoner Ranch, Texas Monthly, January 2004
  6. Gilette, Shannon (2017-07-21). "Electra II: The Legacy of Electra Waggoner Biggs". North Texas Farmer and Ranch Online.
  7. "Account Suspended". www.redrivervalleymuseum.org. Archived from the original on 2012-10-05. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
  8. "Miss Electra Biggs To Marry in Spring". New York Times. November 19, 1967. Retrieved 2015-02-24.
  9. "Architect Anton Korn Designed Architecturally Significant Georgian Estate Home in Old Highland Park Neighborhood - 4700 Preston Road, Dallas, Texas". significanthomes.com.
  10. Porter, Roze McCoy, Electra II: Electra Waggoner Biggs, Socialite, Sculptor, Ranch Heiress, Red River Valley Museum, Vernon, Texas, 1995
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.