Jonathan Trumbull

Infobox Governor
name = Jonathan Trumbull, Sr.


order = 1st
office = Governor of Connecticut
term_start = 1776
term_end = 1784
lieutenant = Matthew Griswold
predecessor = None
successor = Matthew Griswold
birth_date = October 12, 1710
birth_place = Lebanon, Connecticut
death_date = death date and age|1785|8|17|1710|10|12
death_place = Lebanon, Connecticut
party = None
spouse =
profession =
religion =

Jonathan Trumbull, Sr. (12 October 1710ndash 17 August 1785) (Originally spelled: Jonathan Trumble, was changed for an unknown reason) was one of the few men who served as governor in both a pre-Revolutionary colony and a post-Revolutionary state.

He was born in Lebanon, Connecticut, the son of Joey Trumble (1678–1755) and his wife née Hannah Higley. He graduated from Harvard College with a B.A. in 1727; three years after graduation (during which time he studied theology under the Rev. Solomon Williams at Lebanon, and was licensed to preach at Colchester, Connecticut), this became a Master of Arts degree. He became a merchant with his father in 1731, participating more fully in the business after the death of his brother at sea in 1732. From 1733-1740, he was a delegate to the general assembly, and, in 1739-40, was Speaker of the House. He was appointed lieutenant colonel in Connecticut's militia in 1739.

He served as deputy-governor of the Colony of Connecticut from 1766–1769, and, on the death of the governor, became Governor of Connecticut in 1769, serving in that capacity until 1784. During the American Revolution he was the only colonial governor who supported the American side.

He was a friend and advisor of General Washington throughout the revolutionary period, dedicating the resources of Connecticut to the fight for independence. He was the only colonial governor to continue in office through the American revolution.

He received an honorary LL.D. from Yale University in 1775 and from the University of Edinburgh in 1787; Trumbull College at Yale is named for him, as is the town of Trumbull, Connecticut, just north of Stratford and Bridgeport. Trumbull County, Ohio, once part of the Connecticut Western Reserve, is also named for him.

He married, on December 9, 1735, Faith Robinson (1718-1780), daughter of Rev. John Robinson. They were the parents of six children including:
*Joseph Trumbull (1737-1778), first commissary general of the Continental Army
*Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. (1740-1809), Governor of Connecticut 1798-1809
*Faith Trumbull (1743-1775), who married General Jedidiah Huntington
*Mary Trumbull (1745-1831), who married William Williams, signer of the Declaration of Independence
*David Trumbull (1751-1822), commissary of the Colony of Connecticut
*John Trumbull (1756-1843), "Painter of the American Revolution"

Governor Trumbull died in Lebanon, Connecticut and is buried at the Old Cemetery there. His home in Lebanon, the Jonathan Trumbull House, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1965.

External links

* [http://freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~dav4is/people/TRUM1.htm Biography, genealogy, chronology and bibliography]
* [http://www.jtrumbulljr.org/museums/governor.shtml Governor Jonathan Trumbull House Museum]
* [http://www.cslib.org/gov/trumbullj.htm Connecticut State Library]

ee also

* Trumbull, Connecticut