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— and for having both a plane, the Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprop, 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.

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

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. Ultimately becoming well-known as a sculptor, a large collection of Biggs' works are featured at the Red River Valley Museum in Vernon, Texas.

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

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. She died on April 23, 2001.

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