Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 01.djvu/318

 BIGGS.

BILLINGS.

BIQQS, Asa, senator, was born in Williams- touii. X. C. Fi'b. 4, 18U. He stiulied law, was atliuitted to tlie bar in 1831, and engaged in practice. He was a member of the state consti- tutional convention in Ib'^o ; of the house of com- mons of North Carolina in 1840 and 184ri, and of the state senate in 1844 and 1854. He was a rep- resentative in the 21)th congress 1845-47 ; a mem- ber of the commission to codify the state laws of North Carolina in 1850 ; was elected to the U.S. senate as a Democrat, serving 1853-58, and re- signeil in the latter year to become U.S. district judge for the district of North Carolina. He died in Norfolk. Va.. March 6, 1878.

BIQQS, Benjamin T., governor of Delaware, was Imhii near Summit Bridge, Del., Oct. 1, 1821. He was educated at "Wesleyan university. Pri- marily an •• Old Whig." he became a Democrat in 1856. He was nominated as a representative to the 37th Congress in 1860, but was not elected. He was elected in 1868 to the 41st Congress and was re-elected in 1870 to the 42d Congress. In 1888 he was elected governor of Delaware. As governor he conducted the office without regard to the wishes of his constituents and gave offence to his political opponents. During his adminis- tration the iron bridge at Lewes was built and the post-office at Dover. He was a zealous Methodist and his hospitable home in Middletown was the heailquarters for the clergy of his church. He .lind at Middletown, Del., Dec. 25, 1893.

BIQLER, David, Moravian bishop, was born at Hagerstown, Md., Dec. 26, 1806. From 1831 to 1836 he worked as a missionary in the West Indies, and then returned to America and became p>astor of a Moravian church in Philadelphia. Thence he went to New York city, and later re- turned to Pennsylvania and settled at Bethlehem, where, in 1864, he was made a bishop. His last charge was at Lancaster, Pa., where he died July 2, 1875.

BIQLER, John, governor of California, was Iwirn in Cumberland coimty, Pa., Jan. 8, 1804. He w;is of German descent. He entered the printing business at an early age, and edited for some time the Centre Democrat a.t Bellefonte, Pa. He devoted his spare time to reading law, and was admitted to the bar. From 1846 to 1849 he practised as a la^vye^ in Illinois, removing in the latter year to California. In 1852 he was elected governor of that state, was re-elected in 1853 for a term of two ye^rs, and was nominated in 1856 for a third term, but was defeated. He died Nov. 13. 1M71.

BIQLER, William, governor of Pennsylvania, was born at Shermansburg. Pa., in December, 1^14. He was a brother of John Bigler, governor of California, and at the age of fifteen entered his brother's printing-office, at Bellefonte, Pa.

After remaining there for four years he estab^ lished a paper of his own, the Clearfield Demo- crat, which he began in the smallest possible way, but which developed into an influential jour- nal, and made his name well known. He disposed of the paper in 1836, and five years later was elected state senator, holding liLs seat until his election as governor of Pennsylvania in 1851. He was elected to the U. S. senate in 1855, and was a member of the Democratic national con- ventions of 1860, 1S64 and 1808. He introduced a bill in the 37th Congress; and advocated it before the senate, providing that the Crittenden compromise be submitted to popular vote in the several states. He was a member of the state constitutional convention of 1873 and a member of the board of finance of the Centennial expo- sition, 1876. He held other important public offices, and died at Clearfield, Pa., Aug. 9, 1880. BILLINQS, Frederick, lawyer, was born at Royalton, Vt., Sei)t. 27, 1823; son of Oel and Sophia (Wetherbe) Billings. When he was quite young his parents removed to Woodstock. He attended the Kimball union academy and was graduated from the University of Vermont in the class of 1844. From 1846 to 1848 he served as secretary of civil and military affairs to Gov-

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BILLINGS LIBRARY.

ernor Eaton. He was admitted to the bar in 1848, and soon after accompanied a brother-in-law to San Francisco. While they were in New York, waiting for a steamer to the Istlunus of Panama, news came of the discovery of gold in California, and young Billings was the first lawyer to dis- play his sign in the embryo city of San Francisco. On his passage out Mr. Billings met Archibald C. Peachy, a young lawyer from Virginia, and soon after their arrival in San Francisco they formed a partnership as Peachy & Billings. Later Lieut. Henry Wager Halleck was taken into the partnership, and also Trenor W. Park of Ver- mont, and for many years Halleck, Peachy, Billings & Park were the leading law firm of San Franci.sco. Mr. Billings at the outbreak of the war did signal service in preventing the secession of the state, and the legislature of