Daniel Bigelow (24 March 1824 – 15 September 1905) was a
pioneer
Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land.
In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and de ...
lawyer and politician in
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and largest city of Thurston County. It is southwest of the state's most populous city, Seattle, and is a cultural center of the southern Puget Sound region.
Europea ...
.
Biography
Daniel Richardson Bigelow was born March 24, 1824, in Belleville a hamlet in the township of
Ellisburg, New York
Ellisburg is an incorporated town in Jefferson County, New York. The population was 3,474 at the time of the 2010 census. The town is in the southwestern corner of the county and is south of Watertown. Ellisburg is named after early European-Am ...
, a part of
Jefferson County, New York
Jefferson County is a county on the northern border of the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 116,721. Its county seat is Watertown. The county is named after Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United St ...
. His parents were Jotham Bigelow (1784-1860) (son of Joel and Sarah (née Stowell) Bigelow) and Celinda Bullock ( d. 22 Apr 1824). He graduated from
Union College
Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...
in 1846 and attended
Harvard Law School from 1847 to 1849. After graduation he began practice in
Dodgeville, Wisconsin. News of the
California Gold Rush sparked Bigelow's interest in relocating to the Pacific Coast. In 1851 Bigelow joined a
wagon train
''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...
headed west and crossed the
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of what is now the state of Kans ...
with his law books and desk, arriving in
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
in September. After determining Portland already had enough lawyers, he sailed up the coast in the schooner ''Exact'' to
Puget Sound
Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...
in November 1851 on the same voyage that carried the
Denny Party
The Denny Party is a group of American pioneers credited with founding Seattle, Washington. They settled at Alki Point on November 13, 1851.
History
A wagon party headed by Arthur A. Denny left Cherry Grove, Illinois on April 10, 1851. The part ...
. He continued south to Smithfield (later renamed Olympia), then part of the northern
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. O ...
. There he established a law office. At the time there were fewer than 200 American settlers.
Bigelow was a gifted
orator
An orator, or oratist, is a public speaker, especially one who is eloquent or skilled.
Etymology
Recorded in English c. 1374, with a meaning of "one who pleads or argues for a cause", from Anglo-French ''oratour'', Old French ''orateur'' (14th ...
whose July 4, 1852 speech in Olympia contributed to the movement to create
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...
out of the part of the Oregon territory north of the
Columbia River. Bigelow also served as one of the three commissioners who revised the laws of
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. O ...
at
Salem during the summer of 1853.
Daniel served as the first Treasurer of
Thurston County, a member of the first legislature of
Washington Territory
The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...
in 1854, the first Superintendent of the
Olympia School, and President of the Board of Trustees of Puget Sound
Wesleyan
Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan– Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charle ...
Institute, the forerunner of the
University of Puget Sound
The University of Puget Sound (UPS or Puget Sound) is a private university in Tacoma, Washington. The university draws approximately 2,600 students from 44 states and 16 countries. It offers 1,200 courses each year in more than 50 traditional an ...
.
On June 18, 1854, Bigelow married Ann Elizabeth White, one of the first school teachers in the area. Ann was born November 3, 1836 in
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
and settled with her family on Chambers Prairie, now part of
Lacey, Washington
Lacey is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. It is a suburb of Olympia with a population of 53,526 at the 2020 census. Lacey is located along Interstate 5 between Olympia and the Nisqually River, which marks the border with ...
,
Thurston County, Washington
Thurston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 294,793. The county seat and largest city is Olympia, the state capital.
Thurston County was created out of Lewis County by the g ...
southeast of Olympia in what is now Lacey Township, in late 1851. Her father, William White, was one of two casualties in
Thurston County of the 1855-56
Indian War
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asi ...
.
Daniel and Ann Elizabeth were devout
Methodists and helped found the ME church in Olympia. They were also strident advocates of
women's suffrage
Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...
. Bigelow supported extending the right to vote to women in the 1854 legislature and in 1871, while serving as a Territorial Representative, gave a speech to the Washington Legislature advocating voting rights for women. Suffragist
Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to s ...
visited Olympia to promote the cause and dined with the Bigelows at
their home.
The Bigelows were also instrumental in promoting public education in the territory. Daniel helped found the
Olympia School District and assisted in the construction of the first school in the early 1850s. Bigelow also served as a regent of the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...
in 1866 and later founded the Olympia Collegiate Institute, forerunner of the
University of Puget Sound
The University of Puget Sound (UPS or Puget Sound) is a private university in Tacoma, Washington. The university draws approximately 2,600 students from 44 states and 16 countries. It offers 1,200 courses each year in more than 50 traditional an ...
.
Daniel Bigelow died September 15, 1905, at Olympia, the last surviving member of the first territorial legislature. Ann Elizabeth Bigelow died February 8, 1926. The Bigelows had 9 children.
Bigelow House Museum: History
Retrieved 10 April 2010.
See also
* Bigelow Neighborhood
* History of Olympia, Washington
The history of Olympia, Washington, includes long-term habitation by Native Americans, charting by a famous English explorer, settlement of the town in the 1840s, the controversial siting of a state college in the 1960s and the ongoing development ...
References
External links
Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum
Bigelow Family Mementos available from the Washington State Library
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bigelow, Daniel
History of Olympia, Washington
1824 births
1905 deaths
Members of the Washington Territorial Legislature
19th-century American politicians
Oregon Territory officials
Union College (New York) alumni
Harvard Law School alumni
Regents of the University of Washington
People from Ellisburg, New York