Born in Dublin, Ireland, Higdon immigrated to Canada with his family in 1957 and settled in Kingston, Ontario.
[2] In the 1984 Canadian federal election, he worked as the community communications co-ordinator at the Progressive Conservative national headquarters.
[3] Following the campaign, he served as Executive Assistant to Minister of National Revenue Otto Jelinek.
[4] Higdon then became a self-employed consultant specializing in social and demographic research and communications.
Losing by over 2,000 votes, Higdon blamed the media for his loss, suggesting it did not portray him in a positive light.