By the time of his reelection campaign, the Whig Party had become the target of public blame for the debacle, and Bigger was defeated.

Because of the sickness he was constantly in poor health and his father decided he was unfit for manual labor on the farm and sent him to school where he could learn a profession.

[4] He was partnered in his law office with future United States Senator Oliver H. Smith for a period of time, and later with James Whitcomb and Joseph A.

The situation spiraled out of control as Governor David Wallace attempted to delay the collapse of the states finances and continue work on the projects, which led the debt to increase to $12 million.

As the election approached, the Whig Party decided to abandon the governor and run a candidate who had no connection to the failure.

[7] The government's primary hope of escaping the situation was to complete the projects, which they believed would produce income to start to cover their costs.

The commission alleged corruption of many of the contractors who worked on the projects, claimed the state was misled in many different areas, and was the victim of "imposition and fraud."

In its summary, the state had significantly underestimated the costs of the projects, the time they would take to complete, and its own ability to pay for the debt.

During a legislative debate on the matter, Bigger said that there was "not a Methodist in America with sufficient learning to fill a professor's chair."

[11] Coupled with the blame the public placed on the Whigs for the state's financial situation, Bigger was overwhelming defeated by Whitcomb.

[12] After leaving office, Bigger moved to Fort Wayne where he formed a new law practice with Joseph K. Edgerton.

He suddenly became ill and died in his Fort Wayne home on September 9, 1846, aged 44, and was buried in that city's McCulloch Park.

Historian Gayle Thornbrough noted that Bigger was among the governors who had the least impact on the events of the day, largely because of the state financial situation.