Erastus B. Bigelow
Erastus Brigham Bigelow (1814-1879) was born on April 2, 1814, at West Boylston, Massachusetts, some 50 miles outside of Boston. He was the son of Ephraim and Polly Bigelow. Bigelow is chiefly remembered in history as a self-made entrepreneur and inventor, who founded the Bigelow Carpet Company. Indeed, Bigelow is a prime example of the inventive genius which permeates American Protectionist thought. Throughout the course of his company’s operation, he would receive some forty patents relating to the manufacture of carpets, with his most important invention being a power loom which allowed for the weaving of velvet and pictorial tapestry. But Bigelow’s genius also found its way to the study of economics where he published a number of articles, pamphlets, as well as two treatises in defense of protective tariffs.
In his youth, Bigelow would work on a local farm, whilst attending a local school in the winter. By the age of fourteen, he would produce his first invention, a machine which assisted in the manufacturing of rope. He would then sell this invention to pay for his first several years of education at a local academy. Bigelow would then move to Boston, where he would work as a clerk in a dry goods store. It was during this time, in 1839, that he came up with his next and perhaps his most significant invention, the carpet power-loom. This power loom would be first employed in the Lowell Manufacturing Company. In the late 1840s, however, Bigelow would establish several of his own companies, based upon his inventions, including the Bigelow Carpet Company. In addition to his business ventures, Bigelow would also be one of the founders of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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Bigelow’s first work on political economy was a pamphlet entitled Remarks on the Depressed Condition of Manufactures in Massachusetts, with Suggestions as to its Cause and Remedy. This work, however, was not chiefly related to the question of protection, but more concerned the operation of joint stock corporations in the state of Massachusetts. It would be in 1862, that Bigelow would produce his more important and first book sized treatise. This was entitled The Tariff Question Considered in Regard to the Policy of England and the Interests of the United States. As the titled suggests, this work was concerned with the practical operation of free trade and protectionism in the two countries. What is distinct about the work, however, is the vast range of statistical information which it draws upon. Later, in 1877, Bigelow would produce his next work entitled The Tariff Policy of England and the United States Contrasted. This would be of a similar nature to Bigelow’s 1862 work, but would be far more concise and readable. Perhaps the clearest exposition, however, of Bigelow’s theoretical thought would appear the following year in 1878. This was a long article in the Atlantic Monthly entitled “The Relations of Labor and Capital.” This article, among other things, would affirm the doctrine of the harmony of interests.
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In addition to his literary efforts, Bigelow would also assist fellow Protectionist Stephen Colwell with the drafting of the tariff schedules on wool and woolen manufactures for the 1866 Revenue Commission, which was subsequently incorporated into the 1867 tariff bill. Bigelow would also serve as the first President of the fiercely protectionist National Association of Wool Manufacturers, which he had helped found in 1864. Bigelow would remain as President of the Association until 1869. After stepping down from the role, he would continue to serve on the executive until 1878. He would pass away the following year, on December 6, 1879.