GMBigelow

TIMOTHY BIGELOW 1767-1821

Junior Grand Warden, 1803
Senior Grand Warden, 1804-1805
Grand Master, 1806-1808, 1811-1813

TERM

BIOGRAPHY

(From 1916 Proceedings)

Hon. Timothy Bigelow was born April 30, 1767, the son of Col. Timothy Bigelow, of Worcester, who commanded the Thirteenth Massachusetts Regiment in the Revolutionary War. M.W. Brother Bigelow graduated at Harvard College in 1786; read law with Hon. Levi Lincoln, Senior; and opened an office in Groton in 1789. He was eminently successful in the practice of his profession, a sound lawyer, and a distinguished advocate and counselor. He was chosen representative of the town in 1798 and in each of the next succeeding thirteen years, except 1803. In 1802 he was chosen one of the Executive Council and taken from the House of Representatives to fill that station in which he served two years. In October, 1806, he removed with his family from Groton to Medford and opened an office, for practice, in Boston. He represented the town of Medford in the General Court, most, if not all of the years, from his removal there until his death. He was Senator from Middlesex from 1797 to 1801, and Councillor again in 1821. He possessed an admirable talent for presiding in deliberative and other assemblies, and had opportunity to exercise that talent by being Speaker of the House of Representatives for eleven years, as well as by presiding in literary and charitable societies of which he was a member. Law and politics were not the only sciences in which he excelled. He was a great student and general reader. Books in all the liberal arts and sciences were his familiar acquaintances. His conversation in private and social circles of his friends was highly exhilarating, and none ever spent an hour in his presence on such occasions without enjoying a rich feast of intellectual entertainment. He died May 18, 1821, aged 54.

He was Master of Saint Paul's Lodge from December 28, 1801 to December 27, 1802. He was a noted orator and among his various orations which have been published is his eulogy on the character of Washington, delivered before the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts on February 11, 1800. (Note: this oration is mentioned in the Proceedings but is not reproduced.)

From Moore's Freemason's Monthly Magazine, Vol. XXVI:6, April 1867, Page 172:

Pepperell, Feb. 14, 1867.
Br. C.W. Moore,

"In looking over the records of Saint Paul's Lodge, I find the next W.M. (after W. Oliver Prescott, Jr.,) was the Hon. Timothy Bigelow, who was chosen Dec. 28, 5801, and held the office to Dec. 27, 5802. He was the son of Col. Timothy Bigelow, of Worcester, who commanded one of the Massachusetts regiments in the Revolutionay War. My uncle, Col. Jonathan Bancroft, of this town used to tell me, when I was young, that he was an excellent officer, as he served as waiter to him for a number of months, in those days that "tried men's souls." As this distinguished man and brother Mason deserves a notice in your Magazine, I have tumbled over records and books to obtain what I have committed to paper.

Brother Timothy Bigelow was born April 30, 1767; graduated at Harvard College in 1786;* read law with Hon. Levi Lincoln, Senr.; and opened an office in Groton in 1789. He was eminently successful in the practice of his profession, a sound lawyer, and distinguished advocate and counsellor. He was chosen representative of the town in 1798, and in each of the next succeeding thirteen years, except 1803. In 1802 he was chosen one of the Executive Council, and taken from the House of Representatives to fill that station, in which he served two years. In October, 1806, he removed with his family from Groton to Medford, and opened an office, for practise, in Boston. He represented the town of Medford in General Court, most, if not all the years, from his removal there to that of his death.

He possessed an admirable talent for presiding in deliberative and other assemblies, and had opportunity to exercise that talent by being Speaker of the House of Representatives for eleven years, as well as by presiding in numerous literary and charitable societies, of which he was a member. Law and politics were not the only sciences in which he excelled. He was a great student and general reader. Books in all the liberal arts and sciences were his familiar acquaintances. His conversation in private and social circles of his friends was highly exhilirating, and none ever spent an hour in his presence on such occasions without enjoying a rich feast of intellectual entertainment. (He died May 18, 1821, aged 54.)

In 1798, April 4, he delivered an oration at Amherst, N.H., at the interment of Hon. Samuel Dana, W.M. of Benevolent Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, at which were present delegations from St. Paul's, and other Lodges, who had assembled to pay their respect to him who, but a few weeks before, was seated in the East, "affording light and instruction to his brethren." He closes his oration in these words: "But the testimonial roll shal long remain incorruptible, and the sprig of sweet remembrance shall flourish on his grave. While with funeral pomp and Masonic honours we transfer the remains of our departed brother to the house of silence, in imitation of the wise Solomon, the second founder of our Order, let us resolve to serve our Supreme Grand Master on high with a perfect heart and a willing mind, that so being duly prepared, when we shall be transferred from the Lodge here below, we may gain admittance into the Sublime Lodge above, there to meet our departed brother, and perfect that affection which had its origin on earth." What a noble mind! Soon ripe for immortality! He wielded the mallet of St. Paul's, and the M.W. G. Lodge of this State, with order, law, and religion. As a brilliant orator, freemason, and statesman, his name will remain on perpetual record. I hope if there is another Lodge formed in this State, that it will be named Timothy Bigelow Lodge.

Yours in the bonds of Freemasonry,
Luther S. Bancroft.

The Hon. Timothy Bigelow delivered a eulogy on the character of Washington, before the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts, on the 11th of February, 1800. His language is as follows: "The information received from our brethren, who had the happiness to be members of the Lodge over which he presided for many years, and of which he died the Master, furnishes us abundant proof of his persevering zeal fo the prosperity of the institution. Constant and punctual in his attendance, scrupulous in his observance of the regulations of the Lodge, and solicitous at all times to communicate light and instruction, he discharged the duties of the chair with uncommon dignity and intelligence in all the mysteries of our art."

'From Moore's Freemason's Monthly Magazine, Vol. XXX:3, January 1871, Page 99:

". . . the following note . . . is in answer to one from Dr. Lewis, as chairman of the [portrait] committee, to Rt. Wor. Bro. John P. Bigelow, ex-Mayor of Boston, asking for the portrait of his father, the late Hon. Timothy Bigelow. We deem it valuable as a concise and reliable biographical sketch of the distinguished brother who is the subject of it: -"

REVERE HOUSE, June 24th, 1855.

My Dear Sir,

My father was born at Worcester, April 30th, 1767, and died May 18th, 1821, fifty-four years and eighteen days old. He graduated at Harvard College, 1786, commenced the practice of law in Groton, 1789, married the daughter of Judge Oliver Prescott (brother of the Bunker Hill Prescott) in 1791, and removed to Medford in 1806. He was, during most of his adult life, a member of some branch of the State Government - Council, Senate or House, and was eleven years Speaker of the last named body - he was the last Speaker, 1820 (winter), of Massachusetts and Maine UNITED. He twice had the nomination of the legislative caucus of the Federal party (then dominant in our State) for the Senate of the United States, but declined. He was also pressed by the caucus to stand for Governor in 1816, but declined and recommended his friend and physician General Brooks of Medford, whose subsequent official career shed so much lustre on the State, and his profession. My father had also repeated offers of a seat on the Supreme Bech, as vacancies occurred; but adhered to his rule, - never to accept any office which would interfere with his accumulating an honorable competency for his family, a matter which he accomplished to his satisfaction several years previous to his decease. He was in full practice for many years of his life, not only in Middlesex, Suffolk and Worcester, in this State, but also in Hillsboro and Cheshire in New Hampshire, - the law reports for all those counties indicating the fact. An article in Lempriere's biographical dictionary, American edition, sketched by an eminent lawyer (deceased). estimates that my father argued fifteen thousand cases during his life! Be that the exact fact or not, it is quite certain (in the opinion of lawyers competent to judge) that no lawyer in this country has, within the same space of time (30 years), argued more causes or enjoyed greater patronage in his profession than my father.

His attachment to the institution of Freemasonry was ardent and sincere. The records of its Chapters and Lodges attest to his labors to promote its welfare.

I have thus answered your inquiries more fully perhaps than you desired or expected, and am with sincere regard,

Your friend and serv't,
John P. Bigelow.