American judge (1810?1878)
George Tyler Bigelow
George Tyler Bigelow
(October 6, 1810 ? April 12, 1878)
[1]
[2]
[3]
was a justice of the
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
from 1850 to 1867, serving as chief justice from 1860 to 1867. He was appointed to the court by Governor
George N. Briggs
, and elevated to Chief Justice by Governor
Nathaniel P. Banks
.
Early life, education, and career
[
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Born at
Watertown, Massachusetts
,
[1]
[4]
the son of Tyler Bigelow, an eminent lawyer in
Middlesex County
, and grandson of Revolutionary War soldier
Timothy Bigelow
,
[2]
Bigelow entered the
Boston Latin School
in 1820, in a period when the school had a large number of students who went on to become notable.
[3]
Bigelow entered
Harvard College
in 1825, at the age of 15,
[1]
and graduated in 1829.
[3]
Having graduated at age 19, Bigelow "was deemed too young to begin a career in law and so was sent to Maryland to gain a broader knowledge of the world through teaching".
[4]
He was principal of the Brookville Academy in Maryland for a year, and then tutor to the children of Henry Bloomsbury of Maryland for another year. Then he returned home and began to
read law
in his father's office.
[1]
In 1833 Bigelow went to study in the law office of Charles G. Loring, Boston, and the next year was admitted to the bar at East Cambridge.
[1]
[3]
In 1835 he opened an office at Boston and "began at once to make a reputation".
[1]
Military and political activities
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He was elected ensign of the
New England Guards
, a popular Boston militia.
[1]
Following the
Broad Street Riot
on June 11, 1837, the guards were felt to have provided excellent service in dealing with the event, and Bigelow was chosen as their captain.
[1]
[3]
The next year, in 1840, he was elected to the
Massachusetts House of Representatives
, and was reelected for the next four years.
[1]
[3]
In his second year he was chairman of the Committee on Manufactures.
[1]
In 1841 he was made colonel of the Boston regiment of infantry,
[1]
[3]
and served for three years.
[1]
In 1843 he formed a legal partnership with Manlius S. Clarke, and began to practice, principally as a jury advocate.
[1]
In 1844 was appointed by Governor
George N. Briggs
as his aid.
[1]
He also served for three years in the
Massachusetts State Senate
.
[1]
[3]
Judicial service and later life
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In 1848, Bigelow was appointed by Governor Briggs to a seat on the old court of Common Pleas.
[1]
[2]
[3]
The appointment "was much criticized, but the criticism did not continue long". One who knew him well has said, "From the first day he took his seat, he was every inch a judge. In the despatch of business, in the management of the docket, in his clear and able charges to the jury, in his absolute impartiality, he won the applause and even the admiration of the bar".
[2]
The Whigs nominated Bigelow for Congress in 1850, but he withdrew his name.
[1]
Briggs then appointed Bigelow to a seat on the state supreme court vacated by the resignation of Judge
Samuel Wilde
.
[1]
[2]
For 16 years Bigelow served as associate justice, and in October 1860, Governor
Nathaniel P. Banks
appointed Bigelow chief justice to succeed Judge
Lemuel Shaw
.
[1]
[2]
[3]
In the latter part of 1867 he felt it necessary, on account of feeling health, to retire from the bench. He announced his intention to retire on December 30, 1867.
[5]
The announcement was met with general regret, and he was requested by members of the bar to reconsider his determination of resigning.
[3]
On December 31, 1867, however, Bigelow resigned, although more than 300 lawyers signed petitions urging him to remain in office.
[3]
He became the actuary of the Massachusetts Hospital Life Insurance Company,
[1]
retiring in January 1877.
[2]
[3]
In 1868 Bigelow was elected one of the overseers of Harvard university,
[3]
and was a member of the Corporation of Harvard College from the year 1868 to the time of his death.
[2]
In 1873 he was a member of the commission for the revision of the Boston City charter.
[3]
During his career, Bigelow published 88 volumes of reports.
[1]
Personal life and death
[
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]
Early in life, he married Hannah Millar of Quincy, Massachusetts.
[3]
Bigelow died in Boston at the age of 67.
[2]
References
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"
New England Leaders of the Bench and Bar
",
The Boston Globe
(March 6, 1917), p. 14.
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Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Volume 13
(1878), p. 436.
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"
Recent Deaths
",
Boston Evening Transcript
(April 13, 1878), p. 1.
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"George Tyler Bigelow"
.
Digital Commonwealth, Massachusettsetts Collections Online
. Retrieved
October 16,
2023
.
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"George Tyler Bigelow, Chief Justice retirement memorial, 98 Mass. 600 (1867)"
.
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
. 1867.