William Bigler

William Bigler
United States Senator from Pennsylvania
In office January 14, 1856 – March 4, 1861
Preceded by	James Cooper
Succeeded by	Edgar Cowan
12th Governor of Pennsylvania
In office January 20, 1852 – January 16, 1855
Preceded by	William F. Johnston
Succeeded by	James Pollock
Personal details
Born	(1814-01-01)January 1, 1814 Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Died	August 9, 1880(1880-08-09) (aged 66) Clearfield, Pennsylvania
Political party	Democratic
Profession	Politician, Printer, Lumberman, Railroad President

William Bigler (January 1, 1814 – August 9, 1880) was an American politician. A Democrat, he served as the 12th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1852 to 1855, and later a U.S. Senator for Pennsylvania from 1856 until 1861.

Biography

Bigler was born in rural Pennsylvania and received little formal education; he studied informally under his elder brother John Bigler (later governor of California), publisher of the Centre County Democrat newspaper. Bigler founded his own political newspaper, the Clearfield Democrat, in 1833, and later became wealthy in the lumber business. In the 1840s he served in the Pennsylvania senate, and he defeated incumbent governor William F. Johnston for the governor's seat in 1851. Although Bigler opposed slavery in principle, he supported the federal government's Fugitive Slave Act and the pro-slavery Kansas-Nebraska Act. He was defeated for a second term by James Pollock, the candidate of the newly formed Republican Party. Following his term as governor, he served in the United States Senate from 1856 to 1861. William and Brother John Bigler were listed in Ripleys Believe It or Not relating to the brothers being governors of two different states simultaneously. One of his daughters Ida Annettee Bigler mariied Holmes Eugene Ruhe of Allentown PA. Biglerville, Pennsylvania in Adams County, Pennsylvania is named after him. Bigler Hall on the University Park campus of Penn State is named after William Bigler, as are Bigler Street in Philadelphia, Bigler Township in Clearfield County, and Bigler Avenues in both Clearfield and Northern Cambria, Pennsylvania.

Gallery

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  Biglerville, Pennsylvania

External links

• William Bigler at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• William Bigler at Find A Grave

Governors and Presidents of Pennsylvania Presidents (1777–1790) Wharton Bryan Reed Moore Dickinson Franklin Mifflin Governors (since 1790) Mifflin McKean Snyder Findlay Hiester Shulze G. Wolf Ritner Porter Shunk Johnston Bigler Pollock Packer Curtin Geary Hartranft Hoyt Pattison Beaver Pattison Hastings Stone Pennypacker Stuart Tener Brumbaugh Sproul Pinchot Fisher Pinchot Earle James Martin Bell Duff Fine Leader Lawrence Scranton Shafer Shapp Thornburgh Casey Ridge Schweiker Rendell Corbett T. Wolf

United States Senators from Pennsylvania Class 1 W. Maclay Gallatin Ross S. Maclay Leib Roberts Findlay Barnard Dallas McKean Sturgeon Brodhead S. Cameron Wilmot Buckalew J. Scott Wallace Mitchell Quay Knox Oliver Knox Crow Reed Guffey Martin H. Scott Heinz Wofford Santorum Casey Class 3 Morris Bingham Muhlenberg Logan Gregg Lacock Lowrie Marks Wilkins Buchanan S. Cameron Cooper Bigler Cowan S. Cameron J. Cameron Penrose Pepper Vare† Grundy Davis Myers Duff Clark Schweiker Specter Toomey Notes † Never officially seated.