Samuel Huntington (1731–1796)

American statesman, born at Windham, CT, on the 3rd of July 1731. He learned the trade of a cooper, but became a lawyer in 1758, after which he was made king’s attorney and also associate judge of the superior court of Connecticut. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. From 1779 to 1781 he was president of the Congress, and in 1784 he became chief justice of Connecticut. In 1785 Huntington was elected lieutenant-governor of Connecticut, and in 1786 he became governor of that state, which office he retained until his death. He died at Norwich, CT, on the 5th of January 1796.