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.Co Q O Digitized by the Internet Archive 2013 in http://archive.org/details/abrahamlincolnscjblinc Abraham Lincoln's Contemporaries John Bigelow Excerpts from newspapers and other sources From the files of the Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection T/.2.0£>?. ogS. t>S7lg Aforgottencitizenno longer- UnionCollege http://www.union.edu/news/stories/2011/12/a-forgotten-citizen-no-mo... A forgotten citizen no longer December19,2011 He played a major role inthe creation ofthe New York Public Library. ' Appointed consul general to Parisby President AbrahamLincoln, he helped dissuade a number ofEuropeancountriesfromsupporting the Confederacy duringthe Civil War. Wlnle inParis, he also discovered the lostmanuscript ofBenjaminFranklin's autobiography, whichhe edited and published in 1868. He served asNew Mar~gar™et3ciaPPs1947Punter York's secretary ofstate, helped expose the political corruptionofWilliam Pr bi°9raPhv°f*^™- 1 "ForgottenFirstCitizen."isamong ""Boss" Tweed's TammanyHall inNew York City and resolved a dispute over thematerialondisplay the route ofthe Panama Canal. And alongwith the poetWilliamCullen Bryant, he was anowner and editor oftheNew YorkEveningPost. An intersection inNew York City evenbearshisname, JohnBigelow Plaza. Yet for all his lofty achievements, few people are familiar withthe storyofBigelow. a lawyer, statesman and distmguished manofletters. "There wasno room for lazinessinhis schedule. Hoursemptyofthought orpurposeful activity did not exist." Margaret Clapp wrote inher 1947 Pulitzer Prize-winning biography ofBigelow. Forgotten First Citizen. One hundredyears after he died. Bigelow may finally gethisdue. To help mark the centennial of Bigelow's death. Unionhasembarked on anambitiousprojectto pay tribute to itsmost versatile alum, who graduated in 1835. Called "'Remembered First Citizen" in a nod to Clapp'sbiography, the project kicked offMonday with anexhibit in Schaffer Library showcasing some ofthe 4.000 titles fromBigelow'spersonal library, a journal he kept inthe last monthsofIns life (he was 94 whenhe died Dec. 19. 1911), and artifacts such as his deathmask, typewriter and workingpapersfor hisgroundbreaking edition ofthe Franklin autobiography. In February, a massive digital indexto the College'sJohn Bigelow Correspondence File, whichconsists ofmore than 20,000 letters fromprominent political, cultural and literary giants, isexpected to go online. Amongthose who wrote to Bigelow were Theodore Roosevelt. Andrew Carnegie, Charles Dickens. Mark Twain and Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architectwho co-designed Central Park. The letters, measuring 80 linear feetwhen stacked together, touchonBigelow's activities asthe French consul during the Civil War and reactions to the Lincoln assassination; the foundingofthe Panama Canal; and the creationofpublic art works and notable institutions mNew York, includingthe Metropolitan MuseumofAit. Central Park and the New York Public Library. The College haspaid homage to Bigelow inthe past. Since 1916, there hasbeen anendowed professorship inhisname. And in2008. President Stephen C. Ainlay established the JohnBigelow Medal PM 1 of2 12/20/2011 1:10 h ^forgottencitizenno longer - UnionCollege http://www.union.edu/news/stories/2011/12/a-forgotten-citizen-no-mo. to recognize friendsofthe College who have contributed to the advancement ofhumanity. The first recipient was Paul LeClerc. who recently retired aspresident ofdie New York Public Library. "Thisproject isnot only one ofremembrance but ofrevival," said Annette LeClair. librarian and head oftechnical senices at Schaffer. which alongwith the New York Public Library housesthe largest collectionofBigelow material. "His interests and influence were ofremarkable breadth and significance in American life." To read more about the project in the Times Union, click here. 12/20/2011 1:10 PM