{{Short description|American politician (1775–1860)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}} <!-- This article was automatically created by [[User:polbot]] from http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B000453. The prose may be stilted, and there may be grammatical and Wikification errors. Please improve in any way you see fit. --> {{Infobox officeholder | name = Abijah Bigelow | image = Abijah Bigelow.jpg | caption = portrait by [[James Sullivan Lincoln]] | state = [[Massachusetts]] | district = {{ushr|MA|11|11th}} | term_start = October 8, 1810 | term_end = March 3, 1815 | preceded = [[William Stedman]] | succeeded = [[Elijah Brigham]] | office2 = Member of the [[Massachusetts House of Representatives]] | term2 = 1807-1809 | preceded2 = | succeeded2 = | birth_date = {{birth date|1775|12|5}} | birth_place = [[Westminster, Massachusetts|Westminster]], [[Province of Massachusetts Bay]], [[British America]] | death_date = {{death date and age|1860|4|5|1775|12|5}} | death_place = [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]], [[Massachusetts]], U.S. | resting_place = | spouse = | children = | alma_mater = [[Dartmouth College]] | profession = Lawyer | party = [[Federalist Party|Federalist]] }}

'''Abijah Bigelow''' (December 5, 1775 – April 5, 1860) was a [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. representative]] from [[Massachusetts]].

Born in [[Westminster, Massachusetts|Westminster]] in the [[Province of Massachusetts Bay]], the son of Elisha and Sarah (Goodridge) Bigelow, Abijah Bigelow studied at Leicester (Massachusetts) Academy and [[New Ipswich Academy]] at [[New Ipswich, New Hampshire]]. He graduated from [[Dartmouth College]], [[Hanover, New Hampshire]], in 1795. He studied law in [[Groton, Massachusetts]]. He was [[Admission to the bar in the United States|admitted to the Worcester County bar]] in 1798 and commenced practice in [[Leominster, Massachusetts]], in the same year. He was [[town clerk]] of Leominster 1803–1809. He served as member of the [[Massachusetts House of Representatives]] 1807–1809. He was a [[Justice of the Peace]] 1809-1860 and justice of the quorum 1812–1860.

Bigelow was elected as a [[Federalist Party (United States)|Federalist]] to the [[11th United States Congress|Eleventh Congress]] to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of [[William Stedman]]. He was reelected to the [[12th United States Congress|Twelfth]] and [[13th United States Congress|Thirteenth]] Congresses and served from October 8, 1810, to March 3, 1815. He viewed the [[War of 1812]] in a decidedly negative light.

Bigelow moved to Worcester in 1817, and served as clerk of the courts of Worcester County 1817–1833. He resumed the practice of law, and served as trustee of [[Leicester Academy]] in 1819-1820 and as treasurer 1820–1853. He was appointed a master in [[court of equity|chancery]] in 1838. He died in [[Worcester, Massachusetts]], April 5, 1860, and was interred in the [[Rural Cemetery (Worcester, Massachusetts)|Rural Cemetery]].

Bigelow was elected a member of the [[American Antiquarian Society]] in 1813,<ref>[http://www.americanantiquarian.org/memberlistb American Antiquarian Society Members Directory]</ref> and subsequently served on its board of councilors from 1817 to 1828.<ref>Dunbar, B. (1987). ''Members and Officers of the American Antiquarian Society''. Worcester: American Antiquarian Society.</ref> The Antiquarian Society also holds a collection of manuscripts generated by Abijah and his extended family from 1785 to 1883.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://catalog.mwa.org/vwebv/holdingsInfo?bibId=271229|title = Bigelow family}}</ref> His correspondence with his wife Hannah Gardner Bigelow (1780–1857) while he was a congressman was also published in 1930 in volume 40 of the ''Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society'', with the title "The Letters of Abijah Bigelow, Member of Congress, to his Wife, 1810-1815."<ref>[http://www.americanantiquarian.org/proceedings/44806872.pdf "Letters of Abijah Bigelow, Member of Congress, to his Wife, 1810-1815."] ''Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society'' '''40''': 305-406. 1930</ref>

Abijah and his wife Hannah had nine children, seven of whom survived their father. Hannah Bigelow's brother Francis was also a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts.

==Notes== {{reflist}}

==References== {{CongBio|B000453}}

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{{S-start}} {{S-par|us-hs}} {{US House succession box | state= Massachusetts | district= 11 | before= [[William Stedman]] | after= [[Elijah Brigham]] | years= 1810–1815}} {{s-end}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bigelow, Abijah}} [[Category:1775 births]] [[Category:1860 deaths]] [[Category:People from Westminster, Massachusetts]] [[Category:Massachusetts lawyers]] [[Category:Federalist Party United States representatives from Massachusetts]] [[Category:Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives]] [[Category:Leicester Academy alumni]] [[Category:Dartmouth College alumni]] [[Category:Burials at Rural Cemetery (Worcester, Massachusetts)]] [[Category:19th-century United States representatives]] [[Category:19th-century members of the Massachusetts General Court]]