Charles Hobby Pond (April 26, 1781 – April 28, 1861) was an American politician who was the 42nd and 44th Lieutenant Governor of

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

(1850 to 1853) and who served as the 37th Governor for seven months (1853–1854) after the resignation of Governor Thomas Hart Seymour. He was named after his direct ancestor Sir Charles Hobby who was knighted by Queen Anne in 1705.

Biography

Born in

Milford, Connecticut Milford is a coastal city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located between New Haven and Bridgeport. The population was 50,558 at the 2020 United States Census. The city includes the village of Devon and the borough of Woodmon ...

on April 26, 1781, Pond was the son of Captain and Martha (Miles) Pond. Prepared by his pastor, he attended college beginning at age seventeen and graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

in 1802. He studied law with Hon. Roger Minot Sherman, of Fairfield, for two years and admitted to the bar in

Fairfield County Fairfield County is the name of three counties in the United States: * Fairfield County, Connecticut * Fairfield County, Ohio Fairfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,921. ...

. Instead of beginning practice, he took a long sea voyage for his health and it suited him so well that he took another. The result was he followed the sea for several years as an employee of his father's shipping business; first as a supercargo, then as captain. Regaining his former health he took up his residence on land again. He was married in 1809 to Catherine Dickinson and they had seven children.

Career

Pond served as an associate judge of

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...

County Court from 1818 to 1819, sheriff of

from 1819 to 1834, and as judge of

County Court from 1836 to 1837. Pond was elected

Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut The following is a list of lieutenant governors of the State of Connecticut. Lieutenant governors of the State of Connecticut, 1776–present Notes References ;Constitutions * * * ;Specific External linksOfficial website of the L ...

in 1850, 1852, and 1853. On October 13, 1853,

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Thomas H. Seymour resigned from office, and Pond, who was Lieutenant Governor at the time, assumed the duties of

. During his tenure, the U.S. Senate passed the Kansas-Nebraska Bill, which caused great controversy throughout the state. (The act made slavery legally possible in a vast new area and revived the bitter quarrel over the expansion of slavery, which had died down after the Compromise of 1850, hastening the start of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

.) Pond did not seek reelection and left office, retiring from public service.

Death and legacy

The same month and year of the bombardment of Fort Sumter, Pond died on April 28, 1861, aged 80. He is interred at Milford Cemetery,

. He is memorialized on the Milford Founding Fathers Memorial in Milford.

References

External links

National Governors Association biographyConnecticut State Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pond, Charles H. 1781 births 1861 deaths Connecticut sheriffs Connecticut state court judges Lieutenant Governors of Connecticut Democratic Party governors of Connecticut Yale University alumni 19th-century American judges