Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-08-10
OBITUARY..
Hon. William lBlgler.


Ex-Gov. VIM. Bigler, whose death at
Clcarfield was announced yesterday, was
born at Shermansburg, Cumberland coun-
ty, Pennsylvania, in December, 1918. His
parents, Jacob Biglcr and Susan Dock, OF
Harrisburg, were of German descent, and
were educated, like most children of their
origin, in both tho German and English
tongues. While very young, his parents
removed to Mercer county, having pur.
chased a large tract of wild land, in the
hope of building up their fortunes but the
title proving defective, they found them
selves in 4 short time bcreft Of everything
but Il small farm.
The maintenance Of \ large family from
| tho products Of land scarcely reclaimed
from the dominion of the forest, aided only
by young children, imposed upon tho father
incessant and exhausting toll. Anxiously
| did he labor to provide for their daily
wants, and secure tho means for future
competence. Taxed beyond his strength,
his system soon yielded to the inroads OF
disease, and he passed away, leaving a
| widow and children to wrcstle with back
woods life. Could hc with dying vision
have penetrated the future, he would have
bchcld two Of his sons, for whose welfare
| hc must have had great concern, filling the
subcrnatorial chairs of two of the most
important states in the Union John, the
eldest son, being governor Of California,
and William Of Pennsylvania and, shortly
afterwards, ono holding an important
foreign mission, and the other senator OF
the United States.
In 1880, after receiving moderate ctitl-
cation. young William entered the print
ing Office of his brother John, at BcllefOntc,
Pa. From this Office was issued the Gen.
| tire Democrat newspaper, and he remained
in it until 1888, when, by the advice of his
friends, he removed to Clearfield. Then he
commenced the publication Of the Clear
| field Democrat, which he continued t.
manage until tho year 1886, when he was
| married to Maria j., daughter of Alexan
der B. Reed, and by whom he had five
Sons, three of whom are living. After dis
posing of tho Democrat he entered into the
| lumber business. in connection with his
father. in-law. He was very successful in
this enterprise, being, in the year 1850,
the largest producer of lumber on
tho west bank of the Susquehanna.
Previous to this, in 1S41, ho was
nominated to the state Senate, and was
elected by majority of over 1900, having
received every vote but ono in Cleartield
county. In 1S43 he was elected speaker Of
the Senate was reelected in the session
of 1874, and in tho following October was
returned to the Senate for q second term,
although he had repeatedly declined the
nomination. In 1913 he was brought for.
ward as ono of the Democratic nominees
for the gOvcrnOrship, but was defeated by
Morris Longstreth, who also suffered
defeat at the election. In 1S49 he was
appointed ono of the revenue commits
siOncrs, whose duty it was to adjust the
amount of taxation to be raised in the
different sections and counties of the state.
In 1851 he was nominated by acclamation
by the Democrats for the govcrnorship,
and after Il canvass which was warmly
contested he was elected by a large ma
,jority 1t is worthy of note, at the same
time his brother, John Bigler, was elected
governor Of the state of California. In
March, 1854, he was again unanimously
nominated by the Democrats as their
candidate for governor, but this
time was defeated by a large
majority by the candidate OF the
Native American party. In January,
1855, at the expiration Of his term as gov
ernOr, he was elected the president of the
Philadelphia and Erie railroad, and at the
same time was elected to represent the
state of Pennsylvania in the United States
senate, in which body he served for six
years, and took quito prominent part in
all its proceedings, being Oh several I'M
portant committees.
In 1864 he was one Of the delegates to
the convention that nominated General
George B. Mcclellan for the presidency.
He was also nominated in the same year
| c.... oh, 1nfoafoI roooiv0rl
moro than his party vote. He was again
| of 1868, which met in New York.
He had the nomination for delegate to
the convention for the revision of the state
constitution, but withdrew from the ticket
to give place to Ex-Governor Andrew G.
Curtin. as representative Of tho Liber-
al Republicans. Afterwards { April II,
1879 the delegates -at-large in the consti-
tutional convention reported that they had
selected him to fill the vacancy caused by
the resignation of s. H. Reynolds. Ii
| 1874 he was elected member of the GEN.
tcnnial board of finance. Ho established
branch Office of tho board in New York
city and contributed largely, both by his
labOrs and by direct money contributions,
towards the success of tho great cxpOsi-
tiOn.
Governor Bigler's last prominent appear
ance in public was as candidate for the
govcrnorship in tho Democratic state con-
vention of September, 1875, held at Erie.
The contest was determined one between
the leading candidates, Cyrus L. Pershing,
Henry p. Ross, Amos G. NOyes and Judge
| Bigler. Eleven ballots were taken, result
ing at this point in the nomination OF
Pcrshing. Bigler was withdrawn after the
tho tenth ballot, and Pershing's nomina-
| tiOn followed.
VETERANS FOR HANCOCK