Tag: Smith

BIGGS, Asa (d. 1878)

Death of Judge Biggs — Hon. Asa BIGGS, of the firm of K<…> BIGGS & Co.,died in Norfolk at 12 am of Wednesday the 6th inst.  The immediate cause of his death was rheumatic gout.

Judge BIGGS was born in Martin county, North Carolina, on the 4th of February, 1811.  he was licensed to practice law in 1831, entered public life in 1840 as a member of the House of Commons from Martin, was re-elected in 1842, and went to the State Senate in 1844.  In 1845 he was elected to Congress from the First District, beating Hon. David OUTLAW, and in 1847 was in turn defeated by Mr. OUTLAW.  In 1850 <.two sentences unreadable> the result of their joint labors, the Revised Code, would of itself, have been sufficient to have kept green the memories of each of the co-laborers.
In 1854 Judge BIGGS was again elected to the Legislature from Martin and by the Legislature of 1854 and 1855 he was elected to the United States Senate. This position he resigned for the purposes of accepting the United States District Judgeship, which position he held until he resigned and was at once appointed District Judge of the Confederate States.
At the close of the war Judge BIGGS persued the practice of law with marked success and continued in the practice until 1909, when he, in company with Chief Justice SMITH went to Norfolk and opened a law firm.

Judge BIGGS leaves a family of three sons and three daughters.  Capt. Wm. BIGGS, of the Oxford Free Lance, being the eldest of his sons.

Source: Roanoke News, 9 Mar 1878, pg. 3.  DigitalNC.org website.

BIGGS, Asa (d. 1878)

New York Times
7 Mar 1878

Yesterday morning about 11 o’clock Mr. Asa Biggs, of the firm of K. Biggs & Col, commision merchantes, of Norfolk, Va., died suddenly from rehumatism of the heart.  The deceased was 68 years of age, and was a native of North Carolina.  In antebellum days he had a national reputation as a jurist and politiican.  Previous to his departure from North Carolina he had been in public life for fully 35 years, having been a member of the Convention of 1835, which framed a State Constitution.  He represented his district in Congress during the administration of President Polk.  Subsequently he was elected by the Legislature to the United States Senate, but resigned his seat in that body to accept the appointment for the District of North Carolina under Mr. Buchanan’s Administration.  After the breaking out of the late war he recevied the appointment from the Confederate Government of District Judge for the same district.  He removed to Norfolk in 1869, becoming a partner with his brother in the house of K. Biggs & Co.  He also engaged in the practice of law, being associated with the Hon. W.N.H. Smith, who is the present Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina.  Judge Biggs was an earnest Christian, and was a member of the Primitive Baptist Church.  He leaves a large family.