Christopher Grant Champlin | |
|---|---|
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| United States Senator fromRhode Island | |
| In office June 26, 1809 – October 2, 1811 | |
| Preceded by | Francis Malbone |
| Succeeded by | William Hunter |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromRhode Island'sat-large district | |
| In office March 4, 1797 – March 3, 1801 | |
| Preceded by | Elisha Reynolds Potter |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Tillinghast |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1768-04-12)April 12, 1768 |
| Died | March 18, 1840(1840-03-18) (aged 71) Newport,Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Resting place | Common Burial Ground |
| Party | Federalist |
| Alma mater | Harvard College College of St. Omer |
Christopher Grant Champlin (April 12, 1768 – March 18, 1840) wasUnited States Representative,Senator and a slave trader fromRhode Island.
He was born inNewport in theColony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, the oldest child and only son of the merchant ship owner and Newport slave trader Christopher Champlin (1731–1805), who was also the first Grand Master ofFreemasons in Rhode Island from 1791 to 1794.[1]
His uncle George Champlin was a member of the Rhode Island Legislature and also funded slave voyages to Africa;[2] his niece, Elizabeth Mason (daughter of his sister of the same name), married CommodoreOliver Hazard Perry.[3] His great nephew was architectGeorge Champlin Mason Sr. (1820–1894).
After completingpreparatory studies, Champlin enteredHarvard College, from which he graduated in 1786, then going on to continue his studies at theCollege of St. Omer in France.[3] On his return, he settled in New York, where he lost a fortune speculating in the stock market with his fathers' proceeds from mercantile business and slave trading.[4] He returned to Newport, was an investor with his father and uncle in at least one slave voyage (the Brig Elizabeth),[5] and married Martha Redwood Ellery (b. 1772), in 1793. They had one child, a son who died young. For several years after his marriage, Champlin worked as an assistant to his father in the shipping business.[4]
In 1796, Champlin decided to run for Congress. To strengthen his chances, he swore that he had not speculated in southern real estate and that he would not use a congressional position to further his own investments. However, it was later revealed that he had lied about his southern land interests, as he had speculated heavily in the Tennessee Company with a college friend.[4] In any case, Champlin was elected as aFederalist to the Fifth and Sixth Congresses (March 4, 1797 – March 3, 1801). During this period, he took part in a duel with a Delaware congressman,James A. Bayard.[4] He continued to engage in mercantile pursuits, and was later elected to the U.S. Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death ofFrancis Malbone and served from June 26, 1809, until October 2, 1811, when he resigned and returned to Rhode Island. Champlin was elected a member of theAmerican Antiquarian Society in 1814.[6]
Champlin served as commanding officer (with rank of colonel) of theNewport Artillery Company from 1815 to 1818. He commanded the company when it responded to the1815 New England hurricane, also known as the Great Gale of 1815. As a measure of their gratitude, the Newport town council made the following resolution:"Voted and resolved that the thanks of the town Council be presented to Colonel C. G. Champlin and the officers and privates of the Artillery Company of the town of Newport under his command for the prompt attention they paid to the request of said town council to turn out and guard the property of the unfortunate sufferers in the late destructive storm, and for their good conduct while on duty."[7]
He attended Newport's Congregationalist Church.[8] Champlin was president of the Rhode Island Bank until a short time before his death in Newport in 1840; interment was inCommon Burial Ground.[3]
| U.S. Senate | ||
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| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 1) from Rhode Island 1809–1811 Served alongside:Elisha Mathewson,Jeremiah B. Howell | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromRhode Island'sat-large district 1797–1801 | Succeeded by |
| Class 1 |  | |
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| Class 2 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
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