Sam Rickey (born Richard Thomas Higgins) (March 16, 1848-September 10, 1885) was an American comedic actor.Annals of the New York Stage. Vol. IX. 1870–1875
Rickey was an early partner of Edward Harrigan before Harrigan joined with Tony Hart, and it is for this partnership that he is best known. The two performed together in San Francisco, moved eastward to Chicago, and had their Broadway debut together in November 1870 in a sketch called The Little Fraud.Tin Pan Alley: A Chronicle of American Popular Music, p. 71 (1961)
Rickey was known for playing Northern Irish characters, and also played blackface roles early in his career.Monarchs of Minstrelsy, from “Daddy” Rice to Date, p. 280 (1911) Rickey's "overmastering desire for liquor" was his downfall, leading to his death in New York at age 37 in September 1885.Kurt Gänzl, Kurt The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre, p. 875 (2001)Kahn, Ely Jacques The Merry Partners: The Age and Stage of Harrigan and Hart, p. 124-27 (1955)(12 September 1885). Sam Rickey Dead, The New York TimesSawyer, Eugene T. (October 1923) Old-Time Minstrels of San Francisco, Overland Monthly, p. 6(12 September 1885). Sam Rickey Dead, The Sun (New York)
Rickey also served as a drummer in the Rhode Island infantry in the American Civil War.
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