Benjamin T. Biggs

Infobox Officeholder
honorific-prefix =
name = Benjamin T. Biggs
honorific-suffix =


imagesize =
small

office = Governor of Delaware
term_start = January 18 1887
term_end = January 20 1891
predecessor = Charles C. Stockley
successor = Robert J. Reynolds
office2 = U. S. Representative from Delaware
term_start2 = March 4 1869
term_end2 = March 3 1873
predecessor2 = John A. Nicholson
successor2 = James R. Lofland
birth_date = birth date|1821|10|1|mf=y
birth_place = Cecil County, Maryland
death_date = death date and age|1893|12|25|1821|10|1
death_place = Middletown, Delaware
spouse = Mary Beekman
party = Democratic
residence = Frederica, Delaware
alma_mater = Wesleyan University
occupation = farmer
profession =
religion = Methodist

Benjamin Thomas Biggs (October 1 1821 – December 25 1893) was an American farmer and politician from Middletown, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was veteran of the Mexican-American War and a member of the Democratic Party, who served as U.S. Representative and Governor of Delaware.

is a badass

Political career

Ben Joe Biggs was a teacher and a farmer, whose time was primarily spent tending peach orchards in central New Castle County and the adjacent portion of Maryland. However, he was also a talented public speaker, and through this avocation, began a life-long involvement in public affairs. Beginning as a member of the Whig Party, he was an instrumental figure in the Delaware Constitutional Convention of 1852. While the work of this convention was ultimately rejected, Biggs switched his partisan allegiance to the Democratic Party when the Whig Party broke up. The Democrats were the Southern leaning, anti-abolitionist, states rights party, strongly opposed to the policies of Abraham Lincoln and the Republicans. Presumably, Biggs was in general agreement with its positions.

United States Representative

Ben fuckin biggs the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House in the 1860 election, but was narrowly defeated by the People’s Party candidate, George P. Fisher. The People’s Party was a local coalition of the Republicans and Constitutional Union Party, and the positions of people, like Fisher, on the great issues of the day were not yet clear. By 1868 they were, and after Delaware had experienced the humiliation of Federal supervision of its polling places, and the forced abolition of its few slaves, a large majority turned permanently to the candidates of the Democratic Party. When Biggs ran again for the U.S. House, he was easily elected, defeating Republican Alfred T. Torbert in the 1868 election, and Joshua T. Heald in the 1870 election. But popularity in Delaware did not result in anything useful in the U.S. House, as Biggs joined a small, and powerless minority in the 41st and 42nd Congress. He served two terms, from March 4 1869 until March 3 1873, during the administration of U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant and then retired, back to his peach orchards.

Governor of Delaware

Over the next twenty years Delaware politics were not unlike those of a state in the Deep South. In spite of a large minority of Republicans in New Castle County, hatred of the Republicans and their policies of racial equality, ran high throughout the rest of the state. There were years when the Republicans were unable to elect anyone to the General Assembly and years when they did not even bother to nominate a candidate for Governor.

Biggs was nominated to run for Governor in 1886, and fortunately for him, it was the last year such a disparity existed between the parties. For the last time there was no Republicans candidate, and he received only the token opposition of the Temperance Reform Party candidate, James R. Hoffecker, whom he defeated easily. Biggs served from January 18 1887 until January 20 1891. Two years later the Republicans began their long road back and took advantage of splits in the Democratic leadership to elect a small majority in the State House. Meanwhile Biggs did as countless governors before him, and pleaded with the General Assembly for all kinds of reform, including better representation for New Castle County, and reform of the voting procedures. And as usual, he was largely ignored, except for a provision to establish a State Hospital for the Insane, now the Delaware State Hospital at Farnhurst.

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
-bgcolor=#cccccc!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly
"(sessions while Governor)"
-!Year!Assembly!!Senate Majority!Speaker!!House Majority!Speaker
-
1887-1888
84th|
Party shading/Democratic |Democratic
Party shading/Democratic |John E. Collins|
Party shading/Democratic |Democratic
Party shading/Democratic |William R. McCabe
-
1889-1890
85th|
Party shading/Democratic |Democratic
Party shading/Democratic |Beniah L. Lewis|
Party shading/Republican |Republican
Party shading/Republican |John H. Hoffecker
-
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

Death and legacy

Biggs died December 25 1893 at his home in Middletown, Delaware and is buried in Bethel Cemetery near Chesapeake City, Maryland. His son, John, was Attorney General of Delaware while he was Governor.

Almanac

Elections are held on the first Tuesday after November 1st. The Governor takes office the third Tuesday in January, and has a four year term. U.S. Representatives took office March 4th, and have a two year term.

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
-bgcolor=#cccccc!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" | Public Offices
-! Office! Type! Location! Elected! Took Office! Left Office! notes
-Party shading/Anti-Masonic
U.S. Representative
Legislature
Washington
1868
March 4 1869
March 3 1871
at-large
-Party shading/Anti-Masonic
U.S. Representative
Legislature
Washington
1870
March 4 1871
March 3 1873
at-large
-Party shading/Anti-Jacksonian
Governor
Executive
Dover
1886
January 18 1887
January 20 1891|
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
-bgcolor=#cccccc!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |United States Congressional "service"
-! Dates! Congress! Chamber! Majority! President! Committees! Class/District
-Party shading/Republican
1869-1871
41st
U.S. House
Republican
Ulysses S. Grant|
"at-large"
-Party shading/Republican
1871-1873
42nd
U.S. House
Republican
Ulysses S. Grant|
"at-large"
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
-bgcolor=#cccccc!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Election results
-!Year!Office!!Subject!Party!Votes!%!!Opponent!Party!Votes!%
-
1860
U.S. Representative|
Party shading/Democratic |Benjamin T. Biggs
Party shading/Democratic |Democratic
Party shading/Democratic |7,485
Party shading/Democratic |47%|
Party shading/Republican |George P. Fisher
Party shading/Republican |Republican
Party shading/Republican |7,732
Party shading/Republican |48%
-
1868
U.S. Representative|
Party shading/Democratic |Benjamin T. Biggs
Party shading/Democratic |Democratic
Party shading/Democratic |10,961
Party shading/Democratic |59%|
Party shading/Republican |Alfred T. Torbert
Party shading/Republican |Republican
Party shading/Republican |7,636
Party shading/Republican |41%
-
1870
U.S. Representative|
Party shading/Democratic |Benjamin T. Biggs
Party shading/Democratic |Democratic
Party shading/Democratic |12,434
Party shading/Democratic |55%|
Party shading/Republican |Joshua T. Heald
Party shading/Republican |Republican
Party shading/Republican |10,001
Party shading/Republican |45%
-
1886
Governor|
Party shading/Democratic |Benjamin T. Biggs
Party shading/Democratic |Democratic
Party shading/Democratic |13,942
Party shading/Democratic |64%|
Party shading/Independent |James R. Hoffecker
Party shading/Independent |Temperance
Party shading/Independent |7,835
Party shading/Independent |36%
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

References

*cite book |title = History of the State of Delaware |last= Conrad |first= Henry C. |coauthors= |work= |publisher= Wickersham Company |location= Lancaster, Pennsylvania |pages= |year= 1908 |id=
*cite book |title = Delaware during the Civil War |last= Hancock |first= Harold Bell. |coauthors= |work= |publisher= Historical Society of Delaware |location= Wilmington, Delaware |pages= |year= 1961 |id=0-924117-24-9
*cite book |title = Democracy in Delaware |last= Hoffecker |first= Carol E. |coauthors= |work= |publisher= Cedar Tree Books |location= Wilmington, Delaware |pages= |year= 2004 |id= ISBN 1-892142-23-6
*cite book |title = History of Delaware Through its Governors |last= Martin |first= Roger A. |coauthors= |work= |publisher= McClafferty Press |location= Wilmington, Delaware |pages= |year= 1984 |id=
*cite book |title = Forgotten Heroes of Delaware |last= Wilson |first= Emerson. |coauthors= |work= |publisher= Deltos Publishing Company |location= Cambridge, Massachusetts |pages= |year= 1969 |id=

=

* [http://www.state.de.us/research/Tour/information/Governors/govs-24.shtml Hall of Governors Portrait Gallery ] "Portrait courtesy of Historical and Cultural Affairs, Dover"

External links

* [http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.29fab9fb4add37305ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=496b224971c81010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e449a0ca9e3f1010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD Benjamin T. Biggs at the "Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States"]
*CongBio|B000457
*Find A Grave|id=7417384
* [http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/bigger-bikar.html#R9M0IPHG7 Benjamin T. Biggs at the "Political Graveyard"]
* [http://www.russpickett.com/history/delgov3.htm#biggs Benjamin T. Biggs at "Delaware’s Governors"]

Places with more information

* [http://www.hsd.org/ Historical Society of Delaware] , 505 Market St., Wilmington, Delaware [phone]
* [http://www.lib.udel.edu/ University of Delaware Library] , 181 South College Ave., Newark, Delaware [phone]