John Strong (August 16, 1738 – June 16, 1816) was an early

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

farmer, militia officer and government leader who served as

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives a ...

Biography

John Strong was born in

Salisbury, Connecticut Salisbury () is a New England town, town situated in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is the northwesternmost in the state of Connecticut; the Connecticut-Massachusetts-New York tri-state marker is located at the northwest ...

on August 16, 1738. In 1766 he settled in

Addison, Vermont Addison is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,365. History Addison was chartered on October 14, 1761. Benning Wentworth named the town Addison after poet Joseph Addison. Geography Ac ...

as one of its first white settlers. Active in the

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

and Vermont during the Revolution, and continuing his military service after the Revolution, Strong eventually attained the rank of Brigadier General. During the Revolutionary War Strong was captured by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

, was paroled, and relocated his family to

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

, and he represented that town in the Vermont House of Representatives from 1779 to 1782. From 1781 to 1782 he served as Assistant Judge of Bennington County. In 1783 he returned to Addison, and he represented that town in the Vermont House from 1784 to 1787, serving as Speaker in 1786. Strong was elected Judge of the

Addison County Addison County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 37,363. Its shire town (county seat) is the town of Middlebury (town), Vermont, Middle ...

Court in 1785, and from 1786 to 1801 he served as Judge of Probate and member of the Governor's Council. In 1791 Strong was a member of the convention that ratified the

U.S. Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. Originally including seven articles, the Constituti ...

and resulted in statehood for Vermont. In the 1790s Strong built a home in Addison to replace his original dwelling, which had been destroyed by the British during John Burgoyne's advance from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

during the Revolution. This home, the General John Strong Mansion, is a museum operated by the Vermont chapter of

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

. In 1801 Strong retired from active pursuits as the result of failing health. He died in Addison on June 16, 1816, and is buried in West Addison's Lake View Cemetery.Gravestone photos
by contributor Barb Destromp, Find A Grave web site, February 12, 2012 Strong's children included Samuel Strong, a militia officer who served as mayor of Vergennes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strong, John 1738 births 1816 deaths People from Salisbury, Connecticut People from Addison, Vermont People of Vermont in the American Revolution Vermont Democratic-Republicans Members of the Vermont House of Representatives Speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives People from pre-statehood Vermont People from colonial Connecticut People from Dorset, Vermont Farmers from Vermont