Asa Biggs (February 4, 1811 – March 6, 1878) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as a member of both chambers of the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

and as a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...

of the United States District Court for the Albemarle, Cape Fear and Pamptico Districts of North Carolina.

Education and career

Born on February 4, 1811, in Williamston, Martin County,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, Biggs attended the common schools and pursued classical studies, then

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

in 1831. He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in Williamston from 1831 to 1845, and from 1847 to 1854. In 1832, he married Martha Elizabeth Andrews; they had 10 children, 2 of which died in infancy. Biggs owned "several slaves" as a result of his marriage. He was a delegate to the North Carolina constitutional convention in 1835. He was a member of the North Carolina House of Commons (now the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives, Speaker of the House, who holds powers si ...

) from 1840 to 1842. He was a member of the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The Senate ...

from 1844 to 1845.

Congressional service

Biggs was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

from

North Carolina's 9th congressional district North Carolina's 9th congressional district is a congressional district in south-central North Carolina. The entire counties of Alamance, Hoke, Moore, and Randolph counties as well as portions of Chatham, Cumberland, and Guilford counties ...

to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

of the

29th United States Congress The 29th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1845 ...

, serving from March 4, 1845, to March 3, 1847. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1846. He was a member of a commission to codify North Carolina laws in 1851 along with Bartholomew F. Moore and Romulous M. Saunders. He was elected as a Democrat to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

and served from March 4, 1855, until May 5, 1858, when he resigned to accept a federal judicial post.

Federal judicial service

Biggs was nominated by President

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was the 15th president of the United States, serving from 1857 to 1861. He also served as the United States Secretary of State, secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and represented Pennsylvan ...

on May 3, 1858, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Albemarle, Cape Fear and Pamptico Districts of North Carolina (also referenced officially as the

United States District Court for the District of North Carolina The following are former United States district courts, which ceased to exist because they were subdivided into smaller units. With the exception of California, each of these courts initially covered an entire U.S. state, and was subdivided as the ...

) vacated by Judge Henry Potter. He was confirmed by the

on May 3, 1858, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on April 23, 1861, due to his resignation.

Later career and death

Biggs was a member of the secession convention of North Carolina in 1861. Following his resignation from the federal bench, Biggs served as a Judge of the Confederate District Court for the District of North Carolina from 1861 to 1865. He resumed private practice in

Tarboro Tarboro is a town located in Edgecombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Rocky Mount metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 10,721. It is the county seat of Edgecombe County. The town is o ...

Edgecombe County Edgecombe County ( or )Talk Like a Tarheel
, from the North Caro ...

, North Carolina, from 1865 to 1868. He continued private practice and was a businessman in

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, from 1868 to 1878. He died on March 6, 1878, in Norfolk. He was interred in Elmwood Cemetery in Norfolk.

Autobiography

During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, Biggs took refuge at

Dalkeith Dalkeith ( ; , ) is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, on the River Esk. It was granted a burgh of barony in 1401 and a burgh of regality in 1541. The settlement of Dalkeith grew southwestwards from its 12th-century castle (now Dalkeith Pala ...

near the unincorporated community of Arcola, Warren County, North Carolina, where he wrote his

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

Asa Biggs House

The Asa Biggs House and Site at Williamston was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1979.

References

Sources

* Dictionary of American Biography; Biggs, Asa. ''Autobiography of Asa Biggs, Including a Journal of a Trip from North Carolina to New York in 1832''. Edited by Robert D. W. Connor. North Carolina Historical Commission Publications. Bulletin No. 19. Raleigh: * Edwards and Broughton Printing Company, 1915. *
Autobiography of Asa Biggs, Including a Journal of a Trip from North Carolina to New York in 1832.
Raleigh, .C. Edwards & Broughton, 1915. {{DEFAULTSORT:Biggs, Asa 1811 births 1878 deaths Democratic Party United States senators from North Carolina Judges of the Confederate States of America Judges of the United States District Court for the District of North Carolina Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives Democratic Party North Carolina state senators People from Williamston, North Carolina United States federal judges appointed by James Buchanan 19th-century American judges Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina 19th-century North Carolina politicians United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century United States senators 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives