Jonathan Trumbull Jr.
Jonathan Trumbull Jr. | |
---|---|
2nd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives | |
In office October 24, 1791 – March 3, 1793 | |
Preceded by | Frederick Muhlenberg |
Succeeded by | Frederick Muhlenberg |
20th Governor of Connecticut | |
In office December 1, 1797 – August 7, 1809 | |
Lieutenant | John Treadwell |
Preceded by | Oliver Wolcott |
Succeeded by | John Treadwell |
United States Senator from Connecticut | |
In office March 4, 1795 – June 10, 1796 | |
Preceded by | Stephen Mix Mitchell |
Succeeded by | Uriah Tracy |
24th Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut | |
In office June 14, 1796 – December 1, 1797 | |
Governor | Oliver Wolcott |
Preceded by | Oliver Wolcott |
Succeeded by | John Treadwell |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut's at-large district | |
In office March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1795 | |
Preceded by | Constituency established |
Succeeded by | Roger Griswold |
Personal details | |
Born | Lebanon, Connecticut Colony, British America | March 26, 1740
Died | August 7, 1809 Lebanon, Connecticut, U.S. | (aged 69)
Political party | Federalist (1795–1809) Pro-Administration (before 1795) |
Spouse | Eunice Backus |
Children | 5 |
Alma mater | Harvard College (AB, AM) |
Occupation | Paymaster, comptroller |
Jonathan Trumbull Jr. (March 26, 1740 – August 7, 1809) was an American politician and military officer who served as the governor of Connecticut, speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and lieutenant governor of Connecticut. He is often confused with his younger brother, John Trumbull, a famous artist during the revolutionary war and early years of the United States.
Early life
[edit]Trumbull was born in Lebanon, Connecticut, the second son of Jonathan Trumbull Sr. (the eventual governor of Connecticut) and his wife Faith Robinson, daughter of Rev. John Robinson. Trumbull graduated from Harvard College in 1759, and gave the valedictory address when he received his master's degree in 1762.[1] His brother John Trumbull was a noted painter of the Revolution.
Career
[edit]State and local office
[edit]Carrying on the family's tradition of public service, Trumbull began with town and colony offices: lister, grand juror, surveyor of highways, justice of the peace, and selectman. In 1774 he was elected deputy. the first of seven terms representing Lebanon.[2] He served in the state legislature three times; from 1774 to 1775, from 1779 to 1780, and in 1788, serving as Speaker of the House in 1788.
Revolutionary War
[edit]Trumbull served in the Continental Army as paymaster general of the Northern Department from July 28, 1775, to July 29, 1778. In February 1781, he was given the rank of lieutenant colonel.[3] He was included in the general orders of June 8, 1781: "Jonathan Trumbull. Esqr., Junior, is appointed Secretary to the Commander in Chief and to be respected accordingly." He served for the duration of the war as aide-de-camp to General George Washington until December 28, 1783.[4] After the war, he became an original member of the Connecticut Society of the Cincinnati.[5]
United States Congress
[edit]Elected to the First, Second, and Third Congresses, Trumbull served in the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1789, to March 3, 1795.[6] He was the Speaker of the House in the Second Congress, both preceded and succeeded by Frederick A. C. Muhlenberg. He did not seek re-election for a fourth term and instead ran for the United States Senate.
When Trumbull was elected to the United States Senate, he served from March 4, 1795, to June 10, 1796.[7]
Governor of Connecticut
[edit]On June 10, 1796, he resigned from the United States Senate to become Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut. When the Governor died in December 1797, he became governor and was re-elected to eleven consecutive terms until his death in Lebanon, Connecticut.[8] He also served as a member of the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors from 1796 to 1807, serving as chief justice while he was governor.[9]
Personal life
[edit]Trumbull married Eunice Backus. Together, they had one son and four daughters:
- Jonathan Trumbull (b. December 24, 1767, d. January 14, 1768), who died young
- Faith Trumbull (b. February 1, 1769), who married Daniel Wadsworth (1771–1848), an artist and architect
- Mary Trumbull (b. December 27, 1777)
- Harriet Trumbull Silliman (b. September 2, 1783, d. January 1850), who married Benjamin Silliman (1779–1864), a scientist.
- Maria Trumbull (b. February 14, 1785).[10]
He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1804.[11]
Trumbull died August 7, 1809, aged 69 years and 134 days. He is interred at Trumbull Cemetery, Lebanon, Connecticut.[12] He was one of the original members of the board of trustees of Bacon Academy.[13]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Jonathan Trumbull Jr". National Governors Association. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- ^ "Jonathan Trumbull, Jr". Connecticut (CT) Sons of the American Revolution. Archived from the original on November 11, 2007. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
- ^ "Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Trumbull, Jr". National Park Service.
- ^ Lefkowitz, Arthur S.(2003). George Washington's Indispensable Men: The 32 Aides-de-Camp Who Helped Win the Revolution, Stackpole Books. Page 233.
- ^ "Officers Represented in the Society of the Cincinnati". The American Revolution Institute of the Society of the Cincinnati. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- ^ "Jonathan Trumbull Jr". Govtrack US Congress. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- ^ "Jonathan Trumbull Jr". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
- ^ "Jonathan Trumbull Jr". Govtrack US Congress. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- ^ Day, Thomas (1809). Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of Errors, of the State of Connecticut, in the years 1805, 1806, and 1807. Vol. 2. p. xii-xiii.
- ^ "Jonathan Trumbull, Jr". Notable Names Data Base. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
- ^ "Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter B" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
- ^ "Jonathan Trumbull, Jr". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- ^ The Connecticut quarterly. Connecticut Quarterly Co. 1896. pp. 125–.
External links
[edit]- 1740 births
- 1809 deaths
- Continental Army staff officers
- United States Army paymasters
- Governors of Connecticut
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut
- Speakers of the United States House of Representatives
- United States senators from Connecticut
- Harvard College alumni
- Connecticut Federalists
- Federalist Party United States senators
- Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Members of the Connecticut House of Representatives
- Speakers of the Connecticut House of Representatives
- Federalist Party state governors of the United States
- Military personnel from Connecticut
- Aides-de-camp of George Washington
- People from Lebanon, Connecticut
- People from colonial Connecticut
- Justices of the Connecticut Supreme Court
- Trumbull family
- 18th-century United States senators
- 18th-century members of the United States House of Representatives