John Bigelow transferred to Union College as a junior in 1834 and quickly established himself as one of the nerviest, wordiest and brightest students on campus.
He was a bookish fellow who grew extravagant side whiskers and hunkered down among the library stacks. Itching for an intellectual tussle, he engaged his volatile disposition in heated arguments about literature, philosophy and politics of the day with classmates, professors and even the president.