John Bigelow

John Bigelow
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Name	John Bigelow
Caption	John Bigelow, c. 1870
Birth date	November 25, 1817
Birth place	Bristol, New York
Death date	December 19, 1911
Death place	New York City
Occupation	Diplomat, author, editor
Known for	United States Minister to France, co-owner of the New-York Evening Post
Spouse	Jane Tunis Poultney
Education	Union College

John Bigelow was an influential American diplomat, author, and editor whose career spanned much of the 19th century. He is best remembered for his service as the United States Minister to France during the pivotal years of the American Civil War, where he played a crucial role in preventing French recognition of the Confederate States of America. A prolific writer and reformer, Bigelow was also a key figure in New York journalism and literature, co-owning and editing the New-York Evening Post with William Cullen Bryant and later authoring important works, including the first complete edition of the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.

Early life and education

John Bigelow was born in Bristol, New York, and spent his formative years in Malta, New York. He pursued his higher education at Union College in Schenectady, graduating in 1835. After college, he moved to New York City to study law, gaining admission to the bar in 1838. His early professional years were spent practicing law, but he quickly developed a strong interest in literature and politics, contributing articles to various publications. This intellectual engagement led to significant friendships with prominent figures like William H. Seward and John Louis O'Sullivan, the editor of the United States Magazine and Democratic Review.

Career and public service

Bigelow's public service career began in earnest when he was appointed as the New York Secretary of State in 1855. His political alignment was with the newly formed Republican Party, and he became a staunch opponent of slavery. In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln appointed him as the Consul General in Paris, a position he held before being promoted to United States Minister to France in 1864. During his tenure in Paris, he worked tirelessly alongside the American minister in London, Charles Francis Adams Sr., to counter Confederate diplomatic efforts and ensure that France remained neutral, a critical factor in the Union victory. After the war, he served briefly as a diplomatic envoy to Haiti and was involved in the Alabama Claims negotiations.

Literary and editorial work

Parallel to his diplomatic career, Bigelow was a major literary and editorial force. In 1848, he entered a partnership with poet and editor William Cullen Bryant to purchase and run the New-York Evening Post, a newspaper that became a powerful voice for Free Soil principles and later the Republican Party. He wrote extensively on political and historical subjects, authoring biographies of William Cullen Bryant and Samuel J. Tilden, and a significant work on Jamaica entitled Jamaica in 1850. His most enduring literary contribution was his rediscovery and 1868 publication of the original manuscript of Benjamin Franklin's autobiography, which he edited and published in its complete form for the first time. He was also a founding member of the American Geographical Society and the New York Public Library.

Later years and legacy

In his later years, Bigelow remained an active public intellectual and philanthropist in New York City. He served as a trustee for Columbia University and was president of the New York Historical Society from 1895 to 1899. A dedicated advocate for civic improvement, he was instrumental in the creation of Bryant Park, named for his former business partner. He continued writing, producing works on Spiritualism and his own memoirs. Bigelow died at his home, "The Squirrels," in New York City at the age of 94. His legacy is that of a skilled diplomat who helped shape American foreign policy during a national crisis, a principled journalist, and a meticulous scholar who preserved key pieces of American intellectual heritage. His personal papers are held by the New York Public Library.