Hobart Baldwin Bigelow (May 16, 1834 – October 12, 1891) was an American politician and the
50th Governor of Connecticut.
Biography
Bigelow was born in
North Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut, on May 16, 1834. He was educated in the South Egremont Academy in
Massachusetts
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. On May 6, 1857, he married Eleanor Lewis and they had four children; Frank Lewis, Eleanor Mary, Walter Pierpont, and Philo Lewis, who died at two weeks.
Career
In 1851 Bigelow left there and afterward learned the machinist's trade at
Guilford, Connecticut
Guilford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, that borders Madison, Branford, North Branford and Durham, and is situated on I-95 and the Connecticut seacoast. The population was 22,073 at the 2020 census.
History
Guil ...
, with local companies. He became a leading manufacturer of boilers and heavy machinery. He purchased the Bigelow Manufacturing Company in 1861, which later conducted business under the name of the H.B. Bigelow & Co. He served as the company's president for life.
Bigelow served as councilman of
New Haven
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...
from 1863 to 1876. He then served as
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
of New Haven from 1879 to 1881. He also served as a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1875.
Bigelow was the Republican nominee and was elected the
Governor of Connecticut
The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Connecticut Military Department, military forces. The Governor (United States), governor has a duty to enforce state laws, ...
on November 2, 1880. He was sworn into office on January 5, 1881. During his term, legislation was enacted that disallowed deceptive election registration procedures and a bill was constituted that regulated companies of 12 or more employees to install fire escapes. The Storrs Agricultural School was founded and assessments were cut back on mutual life insurance companies.
Bigelow left office on January 3, 1883 and retired from public service. He was a delegate to Republican National Convention from Connecticut, 1880.
Death
On October 12, 1891, Bigelow died at the New Haven House hotel on October 12, 1891). He is interred at
Evergreen Cemetery, New Haven, Connecticut.
References
External links
* Sobel, Robert and John Raimo. ''Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978''. Greenwood Press, 1988.
*
National Governors Association*
The governors of Connecticut: biographies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bigelow, Hobart B.
1834 births
1891 deaths
Republican Party governors of Connecticut
Connecticut city council members
Mayors of New Haven, Connecticut
Republican Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives
19th-century American politicians
People from North Haven, Connecticut