Sacramento, CA Past Governors of California Governor Young signing a bill, 1927 Inauguration of James Rolph, Governor of California, 1931 Governor Culbert L. Olson, circa 1939

Peter Burnett
1849–1851
John McDougal
1851–1852
John Bigler
1852–1856
J. Neely Johnson
1856–1858
John Weller
1858–1860
Milton Latham
1860–1860
John Downey
1860–1862
Leland Stanford
1862–1863
Frederick Low
1863–1867
Henry Haight
1867–1871
Newton Booth
1871–1875
Romualdo Pacheco
1875–1875
William Irwin
1875–1880
George Perkins
1880–1883
George Stoneman
1883–1887
Washington Bartlett
1887–1887
Robert Waterman
1887–1891
Henry Harrison Markham
1891–1895
James Budd
1895–1899
Henry Gage
1899–1903
George Pardee
1903–1907
James Gillett
1907–1911
Hiram Johnson
1911–1917
William Stephens
1917–1923
Friend Richardson
1923–1927
C.C. Young
1927–1931
James Rolph
1931–1934
Frank Merriam
1934–1939
Culbert Olson
1939–1943
Earl Warren
1943–1953
Goodwin Knight
1953–1959
Edmund G. "Pat" Brown
1959–1967
Ronald Reagan
1967–1975
Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown
1975–1983
George Deukmejian
1983–1991
Pete Wilson
1991–1999
Gray Davis
1999–2003
Arnold Schwarzenegger
2003–2011
Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown
2011–2019
Gavin Newsom
2019–Present

John Bigler

1852–1856

Significant Facts

Born: January 8, 1805 in Carlisle, PA
Died: November 29, 1871 in Sacramento, CA
Married: Elizabeth Graham
Political Party: Independent Democrat

Family

Father: Jacob Bigler
Mother: Susan Dock
Wife: Elizabeth Graham
Children: Virginia

Find out more about the time period and interests of John Bigler

History of Lake Tahoe
History of the California Department of Education
Previous Capitals of California

Did You Know?

John Bigler was the first speaker of the Assembly
John Bigler was the only person in the 19th century who was re-elected to a second term as Governor
During the 1850 cholera epidemic in Sacramento, Bigler aided citizens suffering from the disease

Biography

Bigler was born in Pennsylvania in 1805. In Pittsburgh he was a printer’s apprentice before becoming an editor for the Centre County Democrat. Bigler edited at the newspaper for five years, from 1827 until 1832. He went on to study law and was admitted to the bar in 1840. He practiced law in Pennsylvania and later in Illinois. In 1849, Bigler and his family traveled overland from Mount Sterling, Illinois to Sacramento, California.

Bigler began his career in politics when he was elected to the Assembly in 1849. In his second term in the Assembly, he was elected as the Speaker. In May 1851, Bigler was nominated as the Democratic candidate for Governor. He narrowly won the election by a margin of 1,082 votes. Bigler was re-nominated in 1853 and was re-elected by a tighter margin–only 636 votes over his opponent. The 1854 legislature honored Governor Bigler by naming a lake after him. However, in 1870 Bigler Lake was renamed Lake Tahoe.

After his terms as Governor, Bigler was appointed as the Minister to Chile by President James Buchanan. In 1867, Bigler was appointed to the Railroad Commission. Bigler was one of the founders of the State Capitol Reporter; he served as the paper’s editor until his death.

Bigler favored and encouraged emigration from the east. He was dedicated to improving the living conditions of the new emigrants. He was instrumental in creating emigrant stations east of the Sierra Nevada to help struggling travelers. He garnered much of his political strength from these groups.

Bigler was ill for several months before he died of dropsy in 1871 at age 66.

Bibliography

Books

Melendy and Gilbert. The Governors of California: From Peter H. Burnett to Edmund G. Brown, Talisman Press, 1965
Schaechtele. The Governors of California and their Portraits, California State Capitol Museum Volunteer Association, 1995

Websites

National Governors Association

Speeches

Inaugural Address delivered on January 8, 1852
Inaugural Address delivered on January 7, 1854

Executive Orders and Proclamations

Use the California State Library’s interactive tool to view Executive Orders and Proclamations signed by Governor Bigler.

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