Brigham, son of Paul and Catherine (Turner) Brigham, was born in January 1746, in Coventry in the Colony of Connecticut.[1] The exact date of his birth varies from source to source. Some give his birthday as January 6;[2] others give it as January 17.[3] He married Lydia Sawyer (of Hebron, Connecticut) on October 3, 1767, and the couple had five children.
In the spring of 1782 Brigham and his family moved to Norwich, Vermont, where he was a farmer and a land speculator.[5] He served as high sheriff of Windsor County, Vermont, for five years and as major general of the Vermont Militia. He was chief judge of the county court for five years, and was a presidential elector for Vermont in 1792. In 1793[6] and 1794[7], he ran for the U.S. House of Representatives, receiving less than 5% of the vote both times. He was on the Governor's Council from 1793 to 1796.[citation needed]
Brigham was annually elected lieutenant governor of Vermont for 16 consecutive years, from 1796 to 1813; only the brief Federalist resurgence removed Brigham and other Republicans from office. After conclusion to the War of 1812, which gave life to the moribund Federalist Party all across New England for their opposition, Brigham was again lieutenant governor, this time from 1815 until 1820. Upon the death of Governor Thomas Chittenden, he served for a short time as the second Governor of Vermont from August 25 to October 16, 1797, when the new governor, Isaac Tichenor was sworn in. Brigham then resumed his duties as lieutenant governor. He retired and returned to his home in Norwich in 1820.[4]
Death and legacy
Brigham died in Norwich on June 16, 1824. He was interred at Fairview Cemetery in his hometown of Norwich. The journal of his army experiences was published as A Revolutionary Diary of Captain Paul Brigham, November 19, 1777 – September 4, 1778.
The obituary from the New-Hampshire Patriot (NH), July 12, 1824, p. 3, reads:
In Norwich, Vt. on the 15th ult. PAUL BRIGHAM, in the 79th year of his age. Extensively known, eulogy would add nothing to the right which the virtuous actions of a good man justly claim for the deceased. For four years he served as a Captain in the war for Independence; five years was the High Sheriff of Windsor county; a Major General of Militia; five years Chief Judge of the County Court; and 22 of 24 succeeding years Lieutenant Governor of this State. In all these offices he sustained the reputation of discharging their several duties to the satisfaction of his fellow citizens; and received their almost unanimous suffrages for the latter, until admonished by the infirmities of age, that retirement was necessary, he declined any further public service.
— Vt. Journal.
References
^"Paul Brigham". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
