Ebenezer N. Briggs (November 1, 1801 – January 26, 1873) was an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

and politician in the U.S. state of

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. He served as the

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives a ...

and as President Pro Tem of the

Vermont Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members elected from multi-member districts. Each senator repre ...

. He was also the father-in-law and law partner of

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Ebenezer J. Ormsbee.

Early life

Ebenezer Nelson Briggs was born in

Middleboro, Massachusetts Middleborough is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,405 as of 2023. The census-designated place of Middleborough Center corresponds to the main village and commercial center of the town. It is the seco ...

on November 1, 1801. He was raised and educated in Middleboro, attended the public schools, and graduated from Middleboro's Pierce Academy. He subsequently attended a school in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

. He then moved to

Pittsford, Vermont Pittsford is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 2,862. Named for William Pitt, it has two picket forts used in the American Revolutionary War. History Pittsford was first settled as ...

, where he studied law with attorney George Newell. Briggs was admitted to the bar in 1823 and began to practice in

Salisbury, Vermont Salisbury is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,221 at the 2020 census. History Salisbury was chartered on November 3, 1761, as one of the New Hampshire Grants issued by Benning Wentworth. The town may have b ...

. For several years he served as

Addison County Addison County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 37,363. Its shire town (county seat) is the town of Middlebury (town), Vermont, Middle ...

State's Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

. John Prout, later a Justice of the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The court ...

, studied law under Briggs' and became Briggs' partner after attaining admission to the bar. Briggs later moved to

Brandon, Vermont Brandon is a New England town, town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 4,129. History On October 20, 1761, the town of Neshobe was chartered to Capt. Josiah Powers. In ...

. For many years Briggs was the attorney for the

Rutland Railroad The Rutland Railroad was a railroad in the northeastern United States, located primarily in the state of Vermont but extending into the state of New York at both its northernmost and southernmost ends. After its closure in 1961, parts of the ...

, and also served as an officer and director of the Bank of Brandon and the Brandon National Bank. He continued to practice law in partnership with Ebenezer J. Ormsbee, who served as Vermont Governor from 1886 to 1888.

Political career

Originally a Whig and later a Republican, Briggs served several terms in the Vermont House of Representatives and was Speaker from 1834 to 1836 and from 1845 to 1847. He also served several terms in the Vermont Senate. From 1843 to 1845 he was Senate President Pro Tem. Briggs died in Brandon on January 26, 1873. He was a longtime trustee of Brandon's Pine Hill Cemetery, and he was buried there following his death.

Family life

Briggs was the father of Jennie L. Briggs (February 1, 1841 – June 1, 1866), the first wife of Governor E. J. Ormsbee.Encyclopedia of Vermont Biography
edited by Prentiss Cutler Dodge, 1912, pages 47 to 48

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Briggs, Ebenezer N. 1801 births 1873 deaths People from Middleborough, Massachusetts People from Salisbury, Vermont People from Brandon, Vermont Vermont lawyers State's attorneys in Vermont Vermont Whigs Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives Vermont state senators Presidents pro tempore of the Vermont Senate 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly