Lewis Bigelow

Lewis Bigelow (August 18, 1785 – October 2, 1838) was a United States representative from Massachusetts, a state legislator, and a lawyer and court officer whose career spanned New England and the developing Midwest. He was born in Petersham, Worcester County, Massachusetts, on August 18, 1785, into the rural society of central Massachusetts that produced many of the early nineteenth century’s professional and political figures.

Bigelow pursued higher education at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, one of the region’s leading institutions of learning in the early republic. He graduated in 1803, at a time when the college was still relatively young, having been founded only a decade earlier. Following his graduation, he read law, as was customary in the period before formal law schools were widespread, and was admitted to the bar. He then commenced the practice of law in his native town of Petersham, establishing himself as an attorney in Worcester County.

In addition to his legal practice, Bigelow became active in Massachusetts public life. He served as a member of the Massachusetts State Senate from 1819 to 1821, participating in state governance during a period marked by post–War of 1812 economic adjustment and the emergence of new political alignments. Alongside his legislative service, he contributed significantly to the development and dissemination of Massachusetts jurisprudence. He served as editor of the first seventeen volumes of Massachusetts Reports, the official reports of decisions of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, and also prepared a digest of six volumes of Pickering’s Reports. Through this editorial work, he helped organize and make accessible the growing body of state case law to the legal profession.

Bigelow’s state-level prominence and Federalist political affiliation led to his election to national office. He was elected as a Federalist to the Seventeenth Congress and served as a United States representative from Massachusetts from March 4, 1821, to March 4, 1823. His term in Congress coincided with the presidency of James Monroe and the so‑called “Era of Good Feelings,” a time when the Federalist Party was in decline nationally. Although detailed records of his specific committee assignments and legislative initiatives are limited, his service placed him among the last generation of Federalist members of the House of Representatives, representing Massachusetts during a transitional phase in American party politics.

After completing his single term in Congress, Bigelow returned to his legal pursuits. In 1831 he moved west to Peoria, in Peoria County, Illinois, reflecting the broader movement of New England professionals to the expanding frontier regions of the Old Northwest. In Peoria he continued the practice of law and quickly became involved in the economic development of the growing river town. He engaged in the real estate business and took an interest in the operation of ferry boats, activities that were closely tied to the commercial growth of Peoria as a transportation hub on the Illinois River.

Bigelow also resumed public service in his new community. He served as a justice of the peace, a position that combined minor judicial, administrative, and local governmental functions and placed him at the center of everyday legal affairs in Peoria County. On November 26, 1835, he was appointed clerk of the circuit court of Peoria County, a significant administrative and record‑keeping office within the Illinois judicial system. He held this position from his appointment until his death, overseeing court records and facilitating the operation of the county’s circuit court during a period of rapid population growth and increasing litigation.

Lewis Bigelow died in Peoria, Illinois, on October 2, 1838, while still serving as clerk of the circuit court. His career, spanning from the established legal and political institutions of Massachusetts to the developing civic structures of Illinois, reflected the broader patterns of professional mobility and public service in the early United States.