2nd Vermont Governor. He was a Captain in the Revolutionary War in a Connecticut regiment commanded, first, by Colonel Chandler and afterward by Colonel Isaac Sherman. He entered the Army 1 Jan 1777 and was discharged 22 Apr 1781. A portion of the time he served under the immediate command of General George Washington, and was engaged in the important battles of Germantown, Monmouth, and Fort Mifflin. He wintered in Valley Forge 1777-1778. He was enlisted by General McDougal from Coventry, Connecticut and his regiment seems to have been largely composed of men from that section of the State.

After the war he moved to Norwich, Vermont, where he became a local and state leader, serving in numerous offices including Member of the Vermont House of Representatives, Delegate to Vermont's constitutional conventions, High Sheriff of Windsor County, presidential elector, and Major General of the Vermont Militia. Brigham was Windsor County Assistant Judge from 1783 to 1786 and 1790 to 1795, Probate Judge in 1800, and Presiding Judge in 1801. He served on the Governor's Council from 1792 to 1796, and was Lieutenant Governor from 1796 to 1813, and acted as Governor in 1797 after the resignation and death of Governor Thomas Chittenden. After losing the lieutenant governorship in 1814, Brigham returned to the office in 1815 and served until 1820. The journal of his Army experiences was published as "A Revolutionary Diary of Captain Paul Brigham, November 19, 1777-September 4, 1778."