Asa Biggs (February 4, 1811 – March 6, 1878) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as a member of both chambers of the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is Bicameralism, bicameral, composed of a lower body, the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and an upper body, ...

and as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Albemarle, Cape Fear and Pamptico Districts of North Carolina.

Education and career

Born on February 4, 1811, in Williamston, Martin County,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

, Biggs attended the common schools and pursued classical studies, then

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under t ...

in 1831. He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in Williamston from 1831 to 1845, and from 1847 to 1854. In 1832, he married Martha Elizabeth Andrews; they had 10 children, 2 of which died in infancy. Biggs owned "several slaves" as a result of his marriage. He was a delegate to the North Carolina constitutional convention in 1835. He was a member of the North Carolina House of Commons (now the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, ...

) from 1840 to 1842. He was a member of the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The term of office for e ...

from 1844 to 1845.

Congressional service

Biggs was elected as a Democrat from

North Carolina's 9th congressional district The 9th congressional district of North Carolina is a congressional district in south-central North Carolina. The district's current boundaries were redrawn in February 2016 after a U.S. District Court overturned the existing boundaries because ...

to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

of the

29th United States Congress The 29th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1845 ...

, serving from March 4, 1845, to March 3, 1847. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1846. He was a member of a commission to codify North Carolina laws in 1851. He was elected as a Democrat to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

and served from March 4, 1855, until May 5, 1858, when he resigned to accept a federal judicial post.

Federal judicial service

Biggs was nominated by President

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was an American lawyer, diplomat and politician who served as the 15th president of the United States from 1857 to 1861. He previously served as secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and repr ...

on May 3, 1858, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Albemarle, Cape Fear and Pamptico Districts of North Carolina (also referenced officially as the

United States District Court for the District of North Carolina The following are former United States district courts, which ceased to exist because they were subdivided into smaller units. With the exception of California, each of these courts initially covered an entire U.S. state, and was subdivided as the ...

) vacated by Judge Henry Potter. He was confirmed by the

on May 3, 1858, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on April 23, 1861, due to his resignation.

Later career and death

Biggs was a member of the secession convention of North Carolina in 1861. Following his resignation from the federal bench, Biggs served as a Judge of the Confederate District Court for the District of North Carolina from 1861 to 1865. He resumed private practice in

Tarboro Tarboro is a town located in Edgecombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Rocky Mount Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 10,721. It is the county seat of Edgecombe County. ...

, Edgecombe County, North Carolina, from 1865 to 1868. He continued private practice and was a businessman in

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nor ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

, from 1868 to 1878. He died on March 6, 1878, in Norfolk. He was interred in Elmwood Cemetery in Norfolk.

Autobiography

During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

, Biggs took refuge at

Dalkeith Dalkeith ( ; gd, Dail Cheith, IPA: �t̪alˈçe is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, on the River Esk. It was granted a burgh of barony in 1401 and a burgh of regality in 1540. The settlement of Dalkeith grew southwestwards from its 12th-cent ...

near the unincorporated community of Arcola, Warren County, North Carolina, where he wrote his

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

Asa Biggs House

The Asa Biggs House and Site at Williamston was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1979.

References

Sources

* Dictionary of American Biography; Biggs, Asa. ''Autobiography of Asa Biggs, Including a Journal of a Trip from North Carolina to New York in 1832''. Edited by Robert D. W. Connor. North Carolina Historical Commission Publications. Bulletin No. 19. Raleigh: * Edwards and Broughton Printing Company, 1915. *
Autobiography of Asa Biggs, Including a Journal of a Trip from North Carolina to New York in 1832.
Raleigh, .C. Edwards & Broughton, 1915. {{DEFAULTSORT:Biggs, Asa 1811 births 1878 deaths Democratic Party United States senators from North Carolina Judges of the Confederate States of America Judges of the United States District Court for the District of North Carolina Democratic Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives Democratic Party North Carolina state senators People from Williamston, North Carolina United States federal judges appointed by James Buchanan 19th-century American judges Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina 19th-century American politicians United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law