George N. Briggs
Encyclopedia
George Nixon Briggs was a member of the Whig Party and served seven-terms as the 19th Governor
of the U.S. state
of Massachusetts
, serving from 1844 to 1851.
on April 12, 1796. His parents were Allen Briggs (b. Cranston, Rhode Island
, 1756) and Nancy Brown, of Huguenot
descent. When seven years of age moved with his parents to Manchester, Vermont, and, two years later, to White Creek, New York
. He attended the public schools there. He moved to Lanesboro, Massachusetts in 1814; there he was apprenticed to the hatter’s trade. He studied law, being admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1818, and commenced practice in Lanesboro.
, which was especially strong in Upstate New York
, he experienced a conversion experience and joined the Baptist
faith. He remained committed to religious ideals, for instance objecting to Congressional sessions that stretched into Sunday and abjuring
alcohol.
.
. He was elected town clerk in 1824, was appointed chairman of the board of commissioners of highways in 1826.
in 1843 and served as Governor of Massachusetts
from 1844 to 1851. While serving as governor, Briggs was asked to commute the death sentence of Professor John White Webster
in the murder of George Parkman
, a crime that took place at the Harvard Medical School in 1850. Letter writers from all over the country thought the sentence was overly harsh as there was only circumstantial evidence presented at his trial and asked Governor Brigg's to commute Webster's sentence. In the end, the governor did not commute the sentence because to do so would have appeared to have given in to the pressure of Boston Brahmins as the memory of Washington Goode
, a black Bostonian seaman who had recently been hanged for a crime without clear evidence of his guilt put him in a tight position.
. He was a judge of the Court of Common Pleas from 1853 to 1858. He was appointed in 1861 as a member of a commission to adjust differences between the United States and New Granada.
.
Governor of Massachusetts
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, serving from 1844 to 1851.
Early life and education
Briggs was born in Adams, MassachusettsAdams, Massachusetts
Adams is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 8,485 at the 2010 census.-History:...
on April 12, 1796. His parents were Allen Briggs (b. Cranston, Rhode Island
Cranston, Rhode Island
Cranston, once known as Pawtuxet, is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. With a population of 80,387 at the 2010 census, it is the third largest city in the state. The center of population of Rhode Island is located in Cranston...
, 1756) and Nancy Brown, of Huguenot
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
descent. When seven years of age moved with his parents to Manchester, Vermont, and, two years later, to White Creek, New York
White Creek, New York
White Creek is a town in Washington County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town population was 3,411 at the 2000 census.-History:...
. He attended the public schools there. He moved to Lanesboro, Massachusetts in 1814; there he was apprenticed to the hatter’s trade. He studied law, being admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1818, and commenced practice in Lanesboro.
Religious awakening
At the age of 14, during the Second Great AwakeningSecond Great Awakening
The Second Great Awakening was a Christian revival movement during the early 19th century in the United States. The movement began around 1800, had begun to gain momentum by 1820, and was in decline by 1870. The Second Great Awakening expressed Arminian theology, by which every person could be...
, which was especially strong in Upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
, he experienced a conversion experience and joined the Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
faith. He remained committed to religious ideals, for instance objecting to Congressional sessions that stretched into Sunday and abjuring
Teetotalism
Teetotalism refers to either the practice of or the promotion of complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages. A person who practices teetotalism is called a teetotaler or is simply said to be teetotal...
alcohol.
Marriage and children
Briggs married Harriet Hall of Lanesboro in 1818; their children were Harriet, George, and HenryHenry Shaw Briggs
Henry Shaw Briggs was brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.During the war, Briggs served as a captain with the 8th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. He was the colonel and first commander of the 10th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry...
.
Early public service career
From 1824 to 1831 Briggs was the register of deeds for the Northern district of Berkshire County, MassachusettsBerkshire County, Massachusetts
Berkshire County is a non-governmental county located on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2010 census, the population was 131,219. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield...
. He was elected town clerk in 1824, was appointed chairman of the board of commissioners of highways in 1826.
Election and service in the U.S. House of Representatives
Briggs was elected representing a Massachusetts district, to the twenty-second through the twenty-fourth-Congresses as an Anti-Jacksonian, and as a Whig to the twenty-fifth through twenty-seventh Congresses, serving from March 4, 1831 to March 3, 1843. In the Twenty-sixth Congress, he was the chairman of the Committee on Public Expenditures, and of the Committee on the Post Office and Post Roads during the Twenty-seventh Congress. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1842.Governor of Massachusetts
Briggs moved to PittsfieldPittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Its area code is 413. Its ZIP code is 01201...
in 1843 and served as Governor of Massachusetts
Governor of Massachusetts
The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...
from 1844 to 1851. While serving as governor, Briggs was asked to commute the death sentence of Professor John White Webster
John White Webster
John White Webster , born in Boston, Massachusetts, was a professor of chemistry and geology at Harvard Medical College...
in the murder of George Parkman
George Parkman
George Parkman , a Boston Brahmin , belonged to one of Boston's richest families...
, a crime that took place at the Harvard Medical School in 1850. Letter writers from all over the country thought the sentence was overly harsh as there was only circumstantial evidence presented at his trial and asked Governor Brigg's to commute Webster's sentence. In the end, the governor did not commute the sentence because to do so would have appeared to have given in to the pressure of Boston Brahmins as the memory of Washington Goode
Washington Goode
Washington Goode was an African American sailor who was hanged for murder in Boston in May of 1849. His case was the subject of considerable attention by those opposed to the death penalty, resulting in over 24,000 signatures on petitions for clemency to Massachusetts governor, George N. Briggs...
, a black Bostonian seaman who had recently been hanged for a crime without clear evidence of his guilt put him in a tight position.
Later career
After serving his term as governor, Briggs resumed the practice of law in Pittsfield. He was a member of the State constitutional convention in 1853Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853
The Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853 met in order to consider changes to the Massachusetts Constitution. This was the third such convention in Massachusetts history; the first, in 1779–80, had drawn up the original document, while the second, in 1820-21, submitted the first nine...
. He was a judge of the Court of Common Pleas from 1853 to 1858. He was appointed in 1861 as a member of a commission to adjust differences between the United States and New Granada.
Death and Burial
On September 4, 1861 Briggs was getting an overcoat out of his closet at his home in Pittsfield, when a gun fell. As Briggs was picking it up, the gun discharged and Briggs was shot. Briggs died in the morning of September 11, 1861, and was buried in the Pittsfield CemeteryPittsfield Cemetery
Pittsfield Cemetery is a historic cemetery at 203 Wahconah Street in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.The cemetery was built in 1850 and added to the National Historic Register in 2007....
.