Samuel Huntington (politician, 1731)

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Samuel Huntington based on a painting by Charles Willson Peale signature

Samuel Huntington (* July 5 jul. / 16th July  1731 greg. In Windham , Connecticut Colony ; † 5. January 1796 in Norwich , Connecticut) was a lawyer, politician, leader of the American Revolution is in Connecticut and as a signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence one of the Founding Fathers of the United States .

Private life

Huntington was the fourth of eleven children and the eldest boy of Nathaniel and Mehetabel Huntington. He received limited public school education and was then self-taught. When Huntington was 16 years old, he was apprenticed to a cooper but continued to help his father on the farm. He acquired his education in the library of Pastor Ebenezer Devotion and from books borrowed from local lawyers.

In 1758 Huntington was admitted to the bar and moved to Norwich, where he began to practice. In 1761 he married Martha Devotion, Pastor Ebenezer Devotion's daughter. They stayed together until their death in 1794. Because the couple could not have children, they adopted Pastor Joseph Huntington's son and daughter after the death of their brother and soon treated Samuel H. Huntington and Frances Huntington as their own children.

Political career

After serving briefly as a councilor, Huntington began his political career in earnest in 1764 when Norwich sent him to the Connecticut Parliament as one of its representatives. He was re-elected every year until 1774. Because of his experience and his role in Parliament, Governor Thomas Fitch appointed him advocate for the Colony's Crown in 1765. He also held this post until 1774. In that year, Governor Jonathan Trumbull sr. to the Colony's Supreme Court. This position resulted in a seat on the Board of Governors, which served as the upper legislative house of Parliament. Huntington held this office continuously until 1778 and was Chief Justice last year.

Huntington was an open critic of the British Parliament's Intolerable Acts . Because of this, Parliament elected him in October 1775 as one of its delegates to the Continental Congress . In January 1776, he took his place along with Roger Sherman and Oliver Wolcott as a delegation from Connecticut in Philadelphia ( Pennsylvania on). He voted in support of the US Declaration of Independence and later signed it.

Articles of Confederation

Huntington returned to Congress each year until 1781. Because of this, he was one of the members who signed the Articles of Confederation when Congress passed them in 1777. For several years he quietly supported the independence movement, having the greatest influence in urging states and their legislative assemblies to obtain the necessary drafts, supplies and money to fight the American War of Independence .

While he was not known for great education and brilliant speech, his steady hard work and reliable calm demeanor earned him the respect of his fellow delegates. Therefore, when John Jay left Congress to be envoy to Spain , he was elected President of the Continental Congress on September 28, 1779 . His steady hand helped hold Congress together as the nascent nation suffered military setbacks after the excitement over their victory at the Battle of Saratoga . As the situation became more and more desperate, he stepped up his efforts through letters and contacts to get states to complete ratification of the articles that had been on the table for years.

During this time he became the commander in chief. Every state except Maryland had ratified the Articles of Confederation. Maryland's main objection was controversial lands in Ohio. Huntington convinced the legislative assemblies of New York , Virginia and Connecticut to cede their rights to the National Congress. Maryland then gave in and did, and ratified the articles on March 1, 1781.

The articles limited the president's appointment to one year, but Congress decided that the term prior to the articles' entry into force did not count. Huntington remained in office as President of the United States in the assembled Congress until July 6, 1781 , when poor health forced him to resign and return to Connecticut. In 1782 Connecticut reappointed him as a delegate, but his health and legal duties prevented him from accepting the office. He returned to Congress as a delegate for a year in 1783 to see the success of the independence movement embodied in the Peace of Paris .

Connecticut Governor

In 1785 he was on the side of Matthew Griswold for lieutenant governor elected by Connecticut. In 1786 he succeeded Griswold as governor. He was confirmed in office every year until his death in 1796. In 1786, in repetition of his efforts in Congress, he negotiated the Hartford Peace Treaty and settled disputes over land in the west between New York and Massachusetts . The following year he supported the Northwest Law , which completed the national solution to these issues.

In 1788 he chaired the Connecticut Convention, which was convened to ratify the United States Constitution. He later saw Connecticut transform into one of the United States. He solved the problem of a permanent capital with Hartford and oversaw the construction of the House of Parliament. He died in office at his home in Norwich.

Later events

Huntington County in Indiana is named in his honor. His birth house, which his father Nathaniel Huntington built around 1732, still stands today. The site is now within the city limits of Scotland . In 1994 the house and part of the property were purchased by a local historical trust. It has been restored and is open to the public.

His nephew and adopted son, Samuel H. Huntington, moved to newly formed Ohio and became its third governor. His cousin Jedidiah Huntington was the son-in-law of Jonathan Trumbull senior.

Huntington Mills is a small town in northeastern Pennsylvania, also named in honor of Samuel Huntington.

literature

  • Larry R. Gerlach: Connecticut Congressman: Samuel Huntington, 1731-1796. United States Bicentennial Commission, Hartford 1977, ISBN 0918676045 .

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