Abijah Bigelow | |
|---|---|
 portrait byJames Sullivan Lincoln | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's11th district | |
| In office October 8, 1810 – March 3, 1815 | |
| Preceded by | William Stedman |
| Succeeded by | Elijah Brigham |
| Member of theMassachusetts House of Representatives | |
| In office 1807-1809 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1775-12-05)December 5, 1775 |
| Died | April 5, 1860(1860-04-05) (aged 84) |
| Political party | Federalist |
| Alma mater | Dartmouth College |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Abijah Bigelow (December 5, 1775 – April 5, 1860) was aU.S. Representative fromMassachusetts.
Born inWestminster in theProvince of Massachusetts Bay, the son of Elisha and Sarah (Goodridge) Bigelow, Abijah Bigelow studied at Leicester (Massachusetts) Academy andNew Ipswich Academy atNew Ipswich, New Hampshire. He graduated fromDartmouth College,Hanover, New Hampshire, in 1795. He studied law inGroton, Massachusetts.He wasadmitted to the Worcester County bar in 1798 and commenced practice inLeominster, Massachusetts, in the same year. He wastown clerk of Leominster 1803–1809.He served as member of theMassachusetts House of Representatives 1807–1809. He was aJustice of the Peace 1809-1860 and justice of the quorum 1812–1860.
Bigelow was elected as aFederalist to theEleventh Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation ofWilliam Stedman. He was reelected to theTwelfth andThirteenth Congresses and served from October 8, 1810, to March 3, 1815. He viewed theWar of 1812 in a decidedly negative light.
Bigelow moved to Worcester in 1817, and served as clerk of the courts of Worcester County 1817–1833. He resumed the practice of law, and served as trustee ofLeicester Academy in 1819-1820 and as treasurer 1820–1853. He was appointed a master inchancery in 1838. He died inWorcester, Massachusetts, April 5, 1860, and was interred in theRural Cemetery.
Bigelow was elected a member of theAmerican Antiquarian Society in 1813,[1] and subsequently served on its board of councilors from 1817 to 1828.[2] The Antiquarian Society also holds a collection of manuscripts generated by Abijah and his extended family from 1785 to 1883.[3] His correspondence with his wife Hannah Gardner Bigelow (1780–1857) while he was a congressman was also published in 1930 in volume 40 of theProceedings of the American Antiquarian Society, with the title "The Letters of Abijah Bigelow, Member of Congress, to his Wife, 1810-1815."[4]
Abijah and his wife Hannah had nine children, seven of whom survived their father. Hannah Bigelow's brother Francis was also a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts.
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's 11th congressional district 1810–1815 | Succeeded by |
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| National | |
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