William Bigler (January 1, 1814August 9, 1880) was an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Democrat as the 12th Governor of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

from 1852 to 1855 and as a member of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

for Pennsylvania from 1856 to 1861. His older brother,

John Bigler John Bigler (January 8, 1805November 29, 1871) was an American lawyer, politician and diplomat. A Democrat, he served as the third governor of California from 1852 to 1856 and was the first California governor to complete an entire term in office ...

, was elected

governor of California The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard. Established in the Constitution of California, t ...

during the same period. As of 2022, he is the last Democratic incumbent to lose reelection as Governor of Pennsylvania.

Early life and education

Bigler was born in Sherman Valley, Pennsylvania, to Jacob and Susan Dock Bigler. He attended public schools and worked as a printer's apprentice, a journalist and as a member of the staff of the ''Centre County Democrat'' newspaper under his elder brother

who later became the

Career

In 1833, at the urging of his friends, including future Pennsylvania Governor

Andrew Curtin Andrew Gregg Curtin (April 22, 1815/1817October 7, 1894) was a U.S. lawyer and politician. He served as the Governor of Pennsylvania during the Civil War, helped defend his state during the Gettysburg Campaign, and led organization of the crea ...

, Bigler founded his own political newspaper, the ''Clearfield Democrat'' which supported

Jacksonian democracy Jacksonian democracy was a 19th-century political philosophy in the United States that expanded suffrage to most white men over the age of 21, and restructured a number of federal institutions. Originating with the seventh U.S. president, And ...

. In 1836, he married Maria Jane Reed and together they had five children. He sold the newspaper and joined his father-in-law's lumber business as co-partner. Between 1845 and 1850, his lumber business became the largest producer of building supplies on the West branch of the

Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River (; Lenape: Siskëwahane) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, overlapping between the lower Northeast and the Upland South. At long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the ...

, earning him the nickname "The Clearfield Raftsman". He served as a Jackson Democrat member of the Pennsylvania Senate for the 20th district from 1841 to 1846, including as Speaker from 1845 to 1846. He played a key role in the abolition of imprisonment for debt in Pennsylvania and the development of two insane asylums in Philadelphia and Harrisburg. He was a proponent of a central railroad from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh as competition to the

B&O Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

. His efforts resulted in a cross-state line in 1847 which was eventually sold and became the

Pennsylvania Railroad The Pennsylvania Railroad (reporting mark PRR), legal name The Pennsylvania Railroad Company also known as the "Pennsy", was an American Class I railroad that was established in 1846 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was named ...

. In 1849, he served as Pennsylvania revenue commissioner. He was elected the 12th Governor of Pennsylvania in 1851, defeating incumbent governor

William F. Johnston William Freame Johnston (November 29, 1808October 25, 1872) was the 11th governor of Pennsylvania, from 1848 to 1852. A lawyer by training, Johnston became district attorney of Westmoreland County at the age of 21 in 1829. He was elected to th ...

. He and his brother John were the first brothers to serve as governors of two states simultaneously. He fought vigorously against

wildcat banking Wildcat banking was the issuance of paper currency in the United States by poorly capitalized state-chartered banks. These wildcat banks existed alongside more stable state banks during the Free Banking Era from 1836 to 1865, when the country ...

and vetoed multiple bank charters and bank bills in his time as governor. He lost popularity through his support of the

Walker Tariff The Walker Tariff was a set of tariff rates adopted by the United States in 1846. Enacted by the Democrats, it made substantial cuts in the high rates of the "Black Tariff" of 1842, enacted by the Whigs. It was based on a report by Secretary of ...

, the right of southern states to retain slavery, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and his enforcement of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act. In 1855, he was defeated for re-election by James Pollock, the candidate of the newly formed

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

. After leaving the governor's office, he became president of the

Philadelphia and Erie Railroad The Philadelphia and Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania between 1861 and 1907. It was subsequently merged into the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). History The Sunbury and Erie Railroad Company (also known a ...

. He was elected to the

for Pennsylvania in 1856 (the legislature having failed to elect anyone in 1855), and served until 1861. As a senator, he supported pro-slavery measures to appease the South. He visited

Kansas Territory The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the free state of Kansas. ...

in 1857, and thereafter advocated Kansas statehood under the pro-slavery

Lecompton Constitution The Lecompton Constitution (1859) was the second of four proposed constitutions for the state of Kansas. Named for the city of Lecompton where it was drafted, it was strongly pro-slavery. It never went into effect. History Purpose The Lecompton C ...

. He was a delegate to the

1860 Democratic National Convention The 1860 Democratic National Conventions were a series of presidential nominating conventions held to nominate the Democratic Party's candidates for president and vice president in the 1860 election. The first convention, held from April 23 to ...

and opposed the nomination of Stephen A. Douglas. During the secession crisis in 1861, he supported the compromise proposed by Kentucky Senator John J. Crittenden as a last ditch effort to avoid secession. He remained active in Pennsylvania politics and served as a delegate to the Pennsylvania constitutional convention in 1873 and as a key organizer of the 1876

Centennial Exposition The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair to be held in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the ...

in Philadelphia. He died on August 9, 1880, in Clearfield, Pennsylvania, and was interred in Hillcrest Cemetery.

Legacy

Biglerville, Pennsylvania Biglerville is a borough in Adams County, Pennsylvania. The population was 1,225 at the 2020 census. The National Apple Museum is located on West Hanover St. in Biglerville. The borough is home to Biglerville High School. History Originally na ...

Adams County, Pennsylvania Adams County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 103,852. Its county seat is Gettysburg. The county was created on January 22, 1800, from part of York County, and was named for the sec ...

is named after him. Bigler Hall on the University Park campus of Penn State is named after Bigler, as are Bigler Street in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, Bigler Township in

Clearfield County Clearfield County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 80,562. The county seat is Clearfield, and the largest city is DuBois. The county was created in 1804 and later organized in 1822. ...

, and Bigler Avenues in both Clearfield and Northern Cambria,

Gallery

File:Biglerville, PA Keystone Marker.jpg, Biglerville, Pennsylvania

References

External links

Bigler Family collection, 1852-1918. Collection guide, California State Library, California History Room.
* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bigler, William 1814 births 1880 deaths 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American railroad executives Democratic Party governors of Pennsylvania Democratic Party United States senators from Pennsylvania Burials in Pennsylvania Democratic Party Pennsylvania state senators People from Clearfield, Pennsylvania People from Perry County, Pennsylvania