Ebenezer N. Briggs (November 1, 1801 – January 26, 1873) was an American

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

and politician in the U.S. state of

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

. He served as the

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...

and as

President Pro Tem A president pro tempore or speaker pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer. The phrase '' pro tempore'' is Latin "for the time being ...

of the

Vermont Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members. Senate districting divides the 30 members into three single-member districts, six two-m ...

. He was also the father-in-law and law partner of

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Ebenezer J. Ormsbee Ebenezer Jolls Ormsbee (June 8, 1834 – April 3, 1924), the 41st governor of Vermont, was a Republican Party politician, a teacher, a lawyer and an American Civil War veteran. Early life Ormsbee was born in Shoreham, Vermont, the son of J ...

Early life

Ebenezer Nelson Briggs was born in

Middleboro, Massachusetts Middleborough (frequently written as Middleboro) is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,245 at the 2020 census. History The town was first settled by Europeans in 1661 as Nemasket, later changed to M ...

on November 1, 1801. He was raised and educated in Middleboro, attended the public schools, and graduated from Middleboro's Pierce Academy. He subsequently attended a school in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

. He then moved to

Pittsford, Vermont Pittsford is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 2,862. Named for William Pitt, it has two picket forts used in the American Revolutionary War. History Pittsford was first settled as a ...

, where he studied law with attorney George Newell. Briggs was admitted to the bar in 1823 and began to practice in

Salisbury, Vermont Salisbury is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,221 at the 2020 census. History Salisbury was chartered on November 3, 1761 as one of the New Hampshire Grants issued by Benning Wentworth. The town may have bee ...

. For several years he served as

Addison County Addison County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 37,363. Its shire town (county seat) is the town of Middlebury (town), Vermont, Middle ...

State's Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...

. John Prout, later a Justice of the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The Court ...

, studied law under Briggs' and became Briggs' partner after attaining admission to the bar. Briggs later moved to

Brandon, Vermont Brandon is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,129. History On October 20, 1761, the town of Neshobe was chartered to Capt. Josiah Powers. In October 1784, the name of the town was chang ...

. For many years Briggs was the attorney for the

Rutland Railroad The Rutland Railroad was a railroad in the northeastern United States, located primarily in the state of Vermont but extending into the state of New York at both its northernmost and southernmost ends. After its closure in 1961, parts of the ...

, and also served as an officer and director of the Bank of Brandon and the Brandon

National Bank In banking, the term national bank carries several meanings: * a bank owned by the state * an ordinary private bank which operates nationally (as opposed to regionally or locally or even internationally) * in the United States, an ordinary p ...

. He continued to practice law in partnership with

, who served as Vermont Governor from 1886 to 1888.

Political career

Originally a Whig and later a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, Briggs served several terms in the Vermont House of Representatives and was Speaker from 1834 to 1836 and from 1845 to 1847. He also served several terms in the Vermont Senate. From 1843 to 1845 he was Senate President Pro Tem. Briggs died in Brandon on January 26, 1873. He was a longtime trustee of Brandon's Pine Hill Cemetery, and he was buried there following his death.

Family life

Briggs was the father of Jennie L. Briggs (February 1, 1841 – June 1, 1866), the first wife of Governor E. J. Ormsbee.Encyclopedia of Vermont Biography
edited by Prentiss Cutler Dodge, 1912, pages 47 to 48

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Briggs, Ebenezer N. 1801 births 1873 deaths People from Middleborough, Massachusetts People from Salisbury, Vermont People from Brandon, Vermont Vermont lawyers State's attorneys in Vermont Vermont Whigs 19th-century American legislators Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives Vermont state senators Presidents pro tempore of the Vermont Senate 19th-century American lawyers