Elizabeth Bigler

Elizabeth Reeves Graham Bigler ( 1809 – November 15, 1873) was First Lady of California, wife of John Bigler, Governor from 1852 to 1856.

Life Bigler was born Elizabeth Reeves Graham in New York, around 1809. She married John Bigler around 1847 in Mount Sterling, Illinois. They had one daughter, Virginia. In 1849 they joined the Gold Rush travelling by oxcart from Mount Sterling to Sacramento.

The Bigler home in Sacramento was a popular social center. After two gubernatorial terms, John was appointed United States Minister to Chile, from 1857 to 1861. The family moved to Chile and returned to Sacramento after the posting. John Bigler died in 1871; their daughter Virginia died on February 5, 1873, and Elizabeth Bigler died on November 15, 1873, in her mid-sixties. They are buried in the Sacramento City Cemetery. The California State Library holds a collection of Bigler family papers.