Roger Griswold | |
|---|---|
| 22nd Governor of Connecticut | |
| In office May 9, 1811 – October 25, 1812 | |
| Lieutenant | John Cotton Smith |
| Preceded by | John Treadwell |
| Succeeded by | John Cotton Smith |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromConnecticut'sat-large district (seat D) | |
| In office March 4, 1795 – 1805 | |
| Preceded by | Chauncey Goodrich |
| Succeeded by | Nathaniel Smith |
| 26thLieutenant Governor of Connecticut | |
| In office October 20, 1809[1] – May 9, 1811 | |
| Governor | John Treadwell |
| Preceded by | John Treadwell |
| Succeeded by | John Cotton Smith |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1762-05-21)May 21, 1762 |
| Died | October 25, 1812(1812-10-25) (aged 50) Norwich,Connecticut, U.S. |
| Party | Federalist |
| Spouse(s) | Fanny Rogers Griswold October 27, 1788(The Griswold Family of Connecticut, Part 3) |
| Relations | Matthew Griswold andRoger Wolcott |
| Children | 10 |
| Parent(s) | Matthew Griswold and Ursula (Wolcott) Griswold |
| Alma mater | Yale College andHarvard University |
| Occupation | Lawyer,Judge,Politician |
Roger Griswold (/ˈɡrɪzwɔːld,-wəld/;[2] May 21, 1762 – October 25, 1812) was a lawyer, politician and judge fromConnecticut. He served as a member of theUnited States House of Representatives, judge of theConnecticut Supreme Court and the22nd governor of Connecticut, serving as aFederalist. He was a member of the prominentGriswold family.
Griswold was born inLyme in theConnecticut Colony toMatthew Griswold and Ursula (Wolcott) Griswold of the prominentGriswold family.[3] He pursued classical studies, enteredYale College at the age of fourteen and graduated from Yale in 1780. He received a Doctor of Law degree fromHarvard University in 1811, and a Doctor of Law degree from Yale in 1812.[4]
Griswold studied law with his father and wasadmitted to the bar in 1783.[5] He began the practice of law inNorwich, Connecticut, and unsuccessfully ran for Congress in an 1793 special election.[6] He returned to Lyme in 1794 and was elected as aFederalist candidate to theFourth United States Congress and to the five succeeding Congresses. Griswold served in Congress from March 4, 1795, until his resignation in 1805 prior to the convening of theNinth Congress.[7] During theSixth Congress, he served as chairman of the Committee on Revisal and Unfinished Business and as a member of theCommittee on Ways and Means.[8] He was a U.S. Senate candidate in 1800.[9]
In 1803 Griswold, along with several other New England Federalist politicians, proposed secession from the union due to the growinginfluence of Jeffersonian Democrats and theLouisiana Purchase, which they felt would dilute Northern influence.[10] Griswold declined PresidentJohn Adams' request for him to serve as theSecretary of War in 1801.[11]
Griswold served as judge of theSupreme Court of Connecticut from 1807 to 1809.[12] He was presidential elector on theCharles Cotesworth Pinckney andRufus King ticket. He was theLieutenant Governor of Connecticut from 1809 to 1811,[13] and was theGovernor of Connecticut from 1811 until his unexpected death in Norwich on October 25, 1812, at the age of 50. He is interred in Griswold Cemetery at Black Hall, in the town of Lyme (nowOld Lyme, Connecticut).[14] WhenGriswold, Connecticut, was incorporated in 1815, it was named in his honor.[15]
On January 30, 1798, a hearing was held on whether or not to removeWilliam Blount ofTennessee from office.Matthew Lyon, aDemocratic-Republican congressman from Vermont, was ignoring Griswold on purpose, because they were from opposite parties. This led to Griswold calling Lyon a scoundrel to which Lyon retaliated by spitting in Griswold's face. Two weeks later, after Lyon was not removed from office for the spitting, Griswold attacked Lyon with his cane.[16][17]
Griswold's fatherMatthew Griswold was the17th governor of Connecticut from 1784 to 1786.
Griswold's maternal grandfatherRoger Wolcott was thecolonial governor ofConnecticut from 1751 to 1754.[18][19][20][21]
Griswold married Fanny Rogers on October 27, 1798, and they had ten children together.[22][23]
His grandson,Matthew Griswold, served as a state representative in Connecticut in the 1860s, and was later elected to two terms in Congress from Pennsylvania in the 1890s.[24]
His great-grandson wasFrancis Joseph Hall (1857–1932).
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Federalist nominee forGovernor of Connecticut 1812 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromConnecticut's at-large congressional district 1795–1805 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut 1809–1811 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Connecticut 1811–1812 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
