The City of New Orleans will dedicate a marker memorializing the contributions of Andrew J. Higgins and Higgins Industries of New Orleans to World War II during a ceremony on February 10. The event will take place at 9:30 a.m. at Houston's Restaurant, 1755 St. Charles Ave., the site of the original Higgins boat office.
Andrew J. Higgins revolutionized amphibious warfare during World War II through his special assault boats. The workers of Higgins Industries built these boats in New Orleans. The Landing Craft, Vehicle or Personnel, better known as the “Higgins boat,” is the best known craft produced by Higgins.
The Higgins marker is a collaborative effort between UNO’s Eisenhower Center for American Studies and the UNO Department of History. Brad Burke, a graduate history student at UNO and owner of the Brad J. Burke Insurance Agency, gave the marker as a gift to the city in the name of UNO’s Eisenhower Center. Jerry Strahan, author of Andrew Jackson Higgins and the Boats That Won World War II, composed the text for the marker.
The Eisenhower Center for American Studies, under the direction of Allan R. Millett, Ambrose professor of history, is a component of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of New Orleans. The Eisenhower Center encourages study of the causes, conduct and consequences of American national security policy and the use of force as an instrument of policy in the 20th century.