John Bigler
| John Bigler | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Bigler by William F. Cogswell
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| 9th United States Ambassador to Chile | |
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In office October 5, 1857 – October 4, 1861 |
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| Preceded by | David A. Starkweather |
| Succeeded by | Thomas H. Nelson |
| 3rd Governor of California | |
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In office January 8, 1852 – January 9, 1856 |
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| Lieutenant | Samuel Purdy |
| Preceded by | John McDougall |
| Succeeded by | J. Neely Johnson |
| 2nd Speaker of the California State Assembly | |
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In office February 1850 – May 1851 |
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| Preceded by | Thomas J. White |
| Succeeded by | Richard P. Hammond |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
January 8, 1805 Carlisle, Pennsylvania |
| Died | November 29, 1871 (aged 66) Sacramento, California |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Profession | Editor, lawyer, politician |
John Bigler (January 8, 1805 – November 29, 1871) was an American lawyer, politician and diplomat. A Democrat, he served as the third governor of California from 1852 to 1856 and was the first California governor to complete an entire term in office, as well as the first to win re-election. His younger brother, William Bigler, was elected governor of Pennsylvania during the same period. Bigler was also appointed by President James Buchanan as the U.S. Minister to Chile from 1857 to 1861.
Bigler was born in early 1805 in Carlisle, Pennsylvania to parents of German ancestry. Beginning work in the printing trade at an early age, Bigler, as well as his younger brother, William, never received a formal education, yet Bigler took it upon himself to educate his younger brother. In 1831, both brothers moved to Bellefonte in Centre County to buy the local Andrew Jackson-affiliated Centre Democrat newspaper, where older John assumed editorial duties. Bigler worked as editor until 1835, when he sold the publication to study law.
When news of the California gold rush reached the East Coast in mid-1848, Bigler, now a middle-aged lawyer, decided to leave for the West Coast to join a law practice. Travelling overland with an ox train, Bigler reached Sacramento in 1849, only to quickly discover that there were no open positions in law. Bigler began to work at a series of odd jobs, including becoming an auctioneer, a wood chopper, and a freight unloader at the town's docks along the Sacramento River. Upon hearing of the territory's first general election in the same year, Bigler decided to turn to politics, and entered the California State Assembly as a Democrat, one of nine members representing the Sacramento district.
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