Benjamin T. Biggs
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Benjamin Thomas Biggs (October 1, 1821 – December 25, 1893) was an American politician from Middletown in
New Castle County, Delaware New Castle County is the northernmost of the three List of counties in Delaware, counties of the U.S. state of Delaware (New Castle, Kent County, Delaware, Kent, and Sussex County, Delaware, Sussex). As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...
. He was a veteran of the
Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...
and a member of the Democratic Party, who served as
U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the 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 Article One of th ...
and 46th Governor of Delaware.


Early life and family

Biggs was born near Bohemia Manor in
Cecil County, Maryland Cecil County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland at the northeastern corner of the state, bordering both Pennsylvania and Delaware. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 103,725. The county seat is Elkton. The ...
, son of John and Diana Bell Biggs. He attended the Methodist Pennington Seminary in
Pennington, New Jersey Pennington is a borough in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The borough is located at the cross-roads between the Delaware Valley region to the southwest and the Raritan Valley region to the northeast. As of the 2020 United St ...
, and
Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...
in
Middletown, Connecticut Middletown is a city in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles (25.749504 km) south of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. Middletown is the largest city in the L ...
. During the
Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...
he was appointed a major of the Delaware militia. He married Mary Beekman and had five children: John, Elizabeth, Benjamin T. Jr., Jennie, and Willard. Of which only three children, John, Jennie and Willard survived. They lived at 210 North Cass Street in Middletown and were members of the Methodist Church.


Professional and political career

Biggs was a teacher and a farmer, whose time was primarily spent tending peach orchards in central New Castle County and the adjacent portion of Maryland. However, he was also a talented public speaker, and through this
avocation An avocation is an activity that someone engages in as a hobby outside their main occupation. There are many examples of people whose professions were the ways that they made their livings, but for whom their activities outside their workplaces w ...
, began a lifelong involvement in public affairs. Beginning as a member of the Whig Party, he was an instrumental figure in the Delaware Constitutional Convention of 1852. While the work of this convention was ultimately rejected, Biggs switched his partisan allegiance to the Democratic Party when the Whig Party broke up. The Democrats were the Southern leaning, anti-abolitionist, states rights party, strongly opposed to the policies of
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...
and the Republicans. Presumably Biggs was in general agreement with its positions. His younger brother Sewell C. Biggs (1823–1911) also identified as a Whig, before becoming identifying as a Democrat and being elected to the Delaware house in 1872, and elected as speaker the same year.


United States Congress

Biggs was the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House in the 1860 election, but was narrowly defeated by the People's Party candidate, George P. Fisher. The People's Party was a local coalition of the Republicans and Constitutional Union Party, and the positions of people, like Fisher, on the great issues of the day were not yet clear. By 1868 they were, and after Delaware had experienced Federal supervision of its polling places, and the forced emancipation of its few slaves, a large majority turned permanently to the candidates of the Democratic Party. When Biggs ran again for the U.S. House, he was easily elected, defeating Republican Alfred T. Torbert in the 1868 election, and Joshua T. Heald in the 1870 election. But popularity in Delaware did not result in anything useful in the U.S. House, as Biggs joined a small and powerless minority in the 41st and 42nd congresses. He served two terms, from March 4, 1869, until March 3, 1873, during the administration of U.S. President
Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...
and then retired, back to his peach orchards.


Governor of Delaware

Over the next twenty years Delaware politics were not unlike those of a state in the Deep South. In spite of a large minority of Republicans in New Castle County, hatred of the Republicans and their policies of racial equality ran high throughout the rest of the state. There were years when the Republicans were unable to elect anyone to the General Assembly and years when they did not even bother to nominate a candidate for governor. Biggs was nominated to run for governor in 1886, and fortunately for him, it was the last year such a disparity existed between the parties. For the last time there was no Republican candidate, and he received only the token opposition of the Temperance Reform Party candidate, James R. Hoffecker, whom he defeated easily. Biggs served from January 18, 1887, until January 20, 1891. Two years later the Republicans began their long road back and took advantage of splits in the Democratic leadership to elect a small majority in the state House. Meanwhile, Biggs did as countless governors before him, and pleaded with the General Assembly for all kinds of reform, including better representation for New Castle County, and reform of the voting procedures. And as usual, he was largely ignored, except for a provision to establish a State Hospital for the Insane, now the Delaware State Hospital at Farnhurst.


Death and legacy

Biggs died at his home in Middletown, Delaware, and was buried in the Bethel Church Cemetery at
Chesapeake City, Maryland Chesapeake City is a town in Cecil County, Maryland, Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 736 at the 2020 census. The town was originally named by Kingdom of Bohemia, Bohemian colonist Augustine Herman the Village of Bohem ...
. His remains were moved again to an unknown location in 1965 upon a widening of the nearby
Chesapeake and Delaware Canal The Chesapeake & Delaware Canal (C&D Canal) is a -long, -wide and -deep ship canal that connects the Delaware River with the Chesapeake Bay in the states of Delaware and Maryland in the United States. In the mid-17th century, mapmaker Augus ...
. His son, John, was appointed deputy-Attorney General of Delaware in 1885, and Attorney-General in 1887 while he was governor. The Gov. Benjamin T. Biggs Farm was listed on 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 1987.


Almanac

Elections are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday of November. The governor takes office the third Tuesday in January, and has a four-year term. U.S. Representatives took office March 4 and have a two-year term.


References


Notes

* * * * *


Images


Hall of Governors Portrait Gallery
''Portrait courtesy of Historical and Cultural Affairs, Dover''


External links


Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United StatesBiographical Directory of the United States Congress
*
Delaware Historical SocietyUniversity of Delaware Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biggs, Benjamin T. 1821 births 1893 deaths Methodists from Delaware People from Middletown, Delaware Wesleyan University alumni Farmers from Delaware American military personnel of the Mexican–American War Governors of Delaware Democratic Party governors of Delaware Delaware Whigs Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Delaware Politicians from Cecil County, Maryland The Pennington School alumni 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives